The January transfer window is now closed and Chelsea only managed to make one signing for their first team, bringing 19-year-old midfielder Mathis Amougou to the club from St Etienne for around £12.5m.
The Blues were busy in regards to outgoings though, with Cesare Casadei leaving on a permanent deal and Axel Disasi, João Félix, Renato Veiga and Carney Chukwuemeka all leaving the club on loan deals.
Chelsea’s Carney Chukwuemeka in action
Enzo Maresca’s side did make one more move, recalling Trevoh Chalobah from his loan at Crystal Palace, with Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile both out through injury, meaning Chalobah was needed for the second half of the season to play an important role for Chelsea.
But with the outgoings in comparison to the incomings, Chelsea are actually lighter in certain areas than they were going into the January transfer window, especially when you also take injuries into account.
So how do Chelsea plan to manage this? Well, Maresca has already pointed towards “finding different solutions” in his latest press conference after Chelsea beat West Ham 2-1 on Monday night, and this could see plenty of academy players given a chance in the second half of this season, to prove their worth and offer an internal solution.
Chelsea’s internal solutions in attack
One solution Chelsea have is something Maresca mentioned in his press conference, with Mykhailo Mudryk out for the foreseeable future and Felix leaving the club, 19-year-old winger Tyrique George will be trusted with more minutes from that left-hand side, having the qualities the Italian desires in that area of the pitch.
His ability to go both ways (inside and outside), beat his man 1v1 and deliver crosses but also cut inside on his stronger right foot and get shots off, make him the perfect profile for a Maresca winger, and this could be his opportunity to shine.
Other academy graduates, such as Josh Acheampong, who has already started two Premier League games this season, alongside Levi Colwill in central defence and Sam Rak-Sakyi, who has received some good minutes in the Conference League from Maresca this season, could also be internal solutions to provide depth in the defensive line and midfield ranks.
Tyrique-George-Chelsea-Saka
The Chelsea prospect who could be unleashed instead of Delap signing
During the January window, the Blues were linked with a number of forwards including Ipswich striker Liam Delap.
Liam Delap goal tallies per season
When looking at Delap’s underlying numbers from this season you can see why Chelsea were interested in the 21-year-old striker, who is finishing at a clinical rate, scoring 0.46 goals per 90 (overachieving his 0.37 xG per 90) and has a goals/shot ratio of 0.18.
