Things have taken somewhat of a turn for the worse in recent weeks for a Chelsea club that once seemed invincible. They started so well and appeared to be running away with first place when their nearest competitor, Manchester City, was beset by injuries. But in the past month, Chelsea lost to Tottenham, drew with Southampton and lost to Newcastle, and now they’ve blown their buffer at the top of the table.
It’s clear that this is a team that’s sliding and needs some help. So with the January transfer window upon us, it seems like Chelsea is one of the most likely Premier League teams to make an acquisition. A number of big names have been linked to making a move to Stamford Bridge in recent weeks, so let’s run through the two world class names most likely to come over.
Mauro Icardi, Internazionale
Speculation has heated up over the past couple of weeks as reports are linking Serie A striker Mauro Icardi to Chelsea. The Blues already have their main man in the middle in Diego Costa and he has plenty of support in the midfield, but they could be looking to bolster their scoring depth with the acquisition of a highly skilled player in Icardi. With reports claiming that Didier Drogba might be interested in retiring at the end of the campaign, it would make sense that Chelsea act now while they are in the midst of a league title fight with Manchester City. It does seem like Drogba has lost a step and Icardi would inject some much needed youth.
Icardi already has eight goals in 14 Serie A starts this season and he would benefit tremendously from playing in front of one of the better midfields in any league. While Chelsea has shown to have its flaws, nobody would argue that they have one of the best midfields in the world.
Inter is reportedly looking for in the neighborhood of 20-30 M pounds for the Argentinian striker and the latest reports indicate that Chelsea will win the sweepstakes, even though Liverpool and Tottenham were in the mix. Icardi has been happy with Milan so far – especially since the team is filled with Argentineans – but it looks like he’ll be on the move shortly.
Wilfried Bony, Swansea City
Swansea City might not have what it takes to catch Tottenham or Arsenal for a spot in the top six of the Premier League table but they do have a couple of key pieces that could be on the move for a chance to make some major cash before the season is over. One player that could be on the move is Bony, who has built up the market for his services with his excellent play so far this year. The link between he and Drogba is a tangible one because both are country mates and play for Ivory Coast’s national team. According to the Daily Star, Drogba recommended the Blues take a shot at acquiring his compatriot this season.
Chelsea could use a boost up front at the striker position and, if they fail to acquire their main target in Icardi, it wouldn’t be a surprise at all if they turned their attention to Bony in an effort to shore up their depth up front. Although Drogba was pushing for Bony and the main rumor making the runs was Bony to Chelsea, it appears that Manchester City has made a last-second push. They are in advanced talks with Swansea and might be swooping in at the last minute. 30 million pounds is the name of the game and if Chelsea wants to again be the front runner for his services, they’ll have to pony up even more.
It will be interesting to see how the situation plays out and whether or not the Blues are able to get one of the players they have targeted as they continue to battle City for top spot in the Premier League the rest of the way.
