Chelsea transfer news with the latest Blues headlines and rumors, including a fresh football.london take on the January window action
There are less than 48 hours left in the January transfer window, and Chelsea has yet to sign a single player. Compared to last year, when they were locked in talks for Enzo Fernandez, a deal that went deep into deadline day and ended up breaking the British transfer record, it has been quiet.
The Blues agreed to moves for eight players 12 months ago, but this time they have been cautious in their business. Mauricio Pochettino has added depth, but not necessarily strength, to his first team group via loans, and with less than two days to go until things wrap up for six months, football.london has taken a look at the latest rumours.
Van Dijk dilemma
Jurgen Klopp has fired a sharp response to rumours of his Liverpool team being broken apart after he announced a surprise exit last week. It comes as a host of his current stars enter their final 18 months contracted with the club.
This time next year, if nothing is done, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Virgil van Dijk would both be able to negotiate their exit from the club for free. Klopp also moved into his final year and a half at Anfield, and the announcement of his departure has thrown things up in the air.
“That’s a big question,” the Reds captain said when asked if he would be around to lead the club into the next stage, even without Klopp. “Well, I don’t know.” When further pushed on needing to extend his deal in order to remain, he said, “That is correct—good math. Listen, I don’t know.
“The club will have a big job on their hands; that is well known. To replace the manager, the staff is leaving, and there are so many things that will change.
“So the club has a big job on its hands and I am very curious which direction that will go in. But when that is announced, we will see our situation; I can’t say now.”
Klopp himself wasn’t having it, though. “These players love to be here; don’t forget that. It [contract discussions] will happen behind the scenes.
“A week ago, when no one knew about my situation, no one asked. Nobody has to worry. This club is stable, 100 percent, and everything will be fine. I am 100 percent sure. I would recommend staying calm in this department, massively. There is enough time to do everything.”
football.london says: Chelsea missed out on not only van Dijk but also Allison, partially down to Klopp. They also missed out on Klopp himself, with Roman Abramovich a big fan of his.
Signing van Dijk at this stage would still be a major coup, even if it isn’t very likely. The 32-year-old wouldn’t have the trouble picking up the pace in England that Kalidou Koulibaly had. He offers the experience and leadership that are massively lacking and would essentially be the replacement for Thiago Silva.
The Brazilian is expected to depart at the end of this season, leaving behind a defence lacking any kind of top-level know-how. Someone like that brings assured quality and is absolutely not to be sniffed at, despite the online belief that he isn’t the same player he used to be.
Given the options Chelsea have, there should be no doubt as to how transformative van Dijk could be. Given just how stupendously unlikely this move is, it’s not even worth dreaming of.