Chelsea manager Graham Potter has played down the chances of signing players in January
Speaking in the press conference ahead of the next game (h/t Football.London), Chelsea manager Graham Potter has played down the possibilities of the club signing players during the January transfer window.
Potter believes that there is more to come from the current group and his focus is on improving the performance of the team. He also added that injuries to key players have not helped the situation.
The Blues spent £250m+ in the summer window to add players in the defensive department and the forward line. Although the squad looks well covered on paper, it has not performed up to its potential. The change in manager so early in the season did not aid in the creation of rhythm.
Here’s what Potter said when asked about signing players in January (h/t Football.London):
“Not necessarily. I think there is more to come from the team we have, more to come from the group we have. As I say, we’ve got some key players out: Kante, Chilwell, James, and Fofana.”
“These are key players, and a couple of them are replacing key players that left in the summer. So the point for me is that we can do better than we have. From a performance perspective, I think the team can function better, and that is where my focus is on.”
Usually, the January window is a tough market to crack the right deals, especially if a club is looking to add a key player to the squad. Moreover, December and January are the busiest periods in terms of the number of games played. But, things are different this year with the World Cup in November and December.
With a month-long season break, the January transfer window may well look like a summer window of a normal season. Clubs can look at players who are playing in Qatar and see which ones can improve their squad going forward.
Though Chelsea are in the market for a striker and a midfielder, Potter is probably right about wanting to get more out of the current crop of players. The Christopher Nkunku deal for next year is more or less done. So, the forward line is due to get an upgrade before next season.
It has been a tough period for the manager after coming only after a few weeks into the season. He hasn’t had a pre-season with the players and had to deal with the most intense schedule possible – 13 games in 43 days before the World Cup break.
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He would be happy to have a break after the Newcastle United game and work his way around finding the best solutions to the problems this squad is facing at the moment on the field.