5 players who could join Chelsea before transfer deadline day

It has been a strange summer at Chelsea. It took until July for the Blues to sack Antonio Conte, and replace him with Napoli’s Maurizio Sarri. Since then, Jorginho has been the only major signing, but it could be a busy couple of days at Stamford Bridge as the transfer window draws to an end.

It was a surprise for many that it took so long for them to sack Conte. It was clear for much of last season that he was unhappy in London, and was looking to leave the club. He had fallen out with the board over transfers, and even victory in the FA Cup Final over Manchester United didn’t look like it would be enough to keep him in the job.

One of the reasons for the delay was that Chelsea were unable to agree a deal to make Sarri manager. This wait meant they fell behind slightly as far as transfers were concerned. Jorginho followed Sarri to Stamford Bridge, but there haven’t been any other notable movements. Robert Green has joined on a free transfer, but he will be third choice goalkeeper at best.

The Italian took charge of his first competitive game in charge of the Blues on Sunday, and he saw a poor performance from his side result in a comfortable 2-0 win for Manchester City.

There are likely to be a couple of exits before the window shuts on Thursday. Thibaut Courtois is almost certain to complete a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid, while Eden Hazard and Willian have both been linked with moves away. There are also question marks around the future of squad players such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who could leave on loan before the window shuts.

Those were the exits, but here are five men who could join the club before the deadline on Thursday evening.

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#1 Kepa Arrizabalaga (Athletic Bilbao)

Kepa looks set to become the most expensive 'keeper in football history

There has been debate all summer about which goalkeeper will move to Stamford Bridge. It has been clear for a number of weeks that Courtois has been desperate to leave the club, with a move to Real Madrid on the cards. A host of goalkeepers have been linked with a move to Chelsea. These range from Alisson Becker, who joined Liverpool, Jack Butland, Jordan Pickford, and even a possible return for Petr Cech.

Now it looks like Kepa is the man Sarri has chosen between the sticks, and if reports are to be believed, he will become the most expensive ‘keeper in football history, with Chelsea meeting his release fee of £71 million. It is obviously an awful lot of money, especially for someone who still hasn’t really proved themselves at the highest level. He is a good shot stopper though, and is capable with the ball at his feet. He is only 23 though, and he has the potential to be the Chelsea number one for a long time.

#2 Nabil Fekir (Lyon)

Fekir had been close to a move to Liverpool

Fekir is a man whose name hasn’t gone away during the transfer window. Initially, he was linked with a move with Liverpool, and that looked all set to go through, until talks broke down. He hasn’t refused to rule out an exit from Lyon before the transfer window is over, and reports suggest that Chelsea are looking to take advantage of the uncertainty over his future.

On paper, Fekir could be an excellent signing for the Blues. Of the three who started in the centre of midfield in the Community Shield, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, despite being excellent footballers, don’t offer much of a goal threat, and Cesc Fabregas doesn’t really have the legs he once did. Fekir has the ability to make runs into the box and get himself into a goal scoring position, as he showed in Ligue 1 last season, scoring 18 goals.

#3 Mateo Kovacic (Real Madrid)

Kovacic has struggled to make an impact at Real

While the extraordinary strength in depth at Real Madrid has been crucial in them winning the last three Champions League titles, it hasn’t benefitted Kovacic. He has found himself as part of a midfield that also includes Casemiro, Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Isco, and he has never been able to hold down a place in the starting line up. It is no surprise really that he has asked to leave the Bernabeu this summer.

Reports in recent days have linked Kovacic with a loan move to Chelsea, potentially as part of the deal to take Thibaut Courtois to Real in exchange. Sarri has spoken in the past about improving the midfield at Chelsea, and Kovacic would certainly do that. He suits the way that Sarri will want to play, as he is an excellent passer of the ball, and with Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, could create a pretty formidable midfield three.

#4 Anthony Martial (Manchester United)

Martial is looking for a way out of Old Trafford

It’s all gone a little quiet in the last couple of weeks in terms of Martial, but his desire to leave United is certainly still there. He has fallen out of favour under Jose Mourinho in the Portuguese manager’s time there, and that almost certainly played a part in Martial missing out on a place in France’s World Cup squad this summer.

One area in particular Cheslea look a little weak is up front, with Alvaro Morata looking way off the pace in pre-season. The Spaniard also struggled for goals in the second half of last season, netting just once after the turn of the year. Martial has been deployed more as a left winger at Old Trafford, but with his pace and finishing he has all the attributes to play down the middle. The problem for Chelsea may be that United won’t want to sell to another English side, even though the Blues first expressed an interest a couple of weeks ago.

#5 Wilfried Zaha (Crystal Palace)

Zaha may be looking for the chance to prove himself at a top club

Many believed that Zaha was one of the top players in the Premier League last season, after he played a vital role in keeping Crystal Palace up after losing all of their first eight games. His importance to Palace was shown in the fact that they won none of the ten games that he didn’t start last season. His numbers of nine goals and three assists may not seem that impressive on paper, but without him, Palace would have gone down.

He still has a point to prove though, as in his only spell with a big club, at Manchester United, he failed, and he will want to prove that he can do it at the highest level. Chelsea do have a problem with goals, as we have said, and with the service of the quality players who would be around him, Zaha would score goals for Chelsea. It is very late on in the window though, and Palace will not be willing to let him go without having a top quality replacement.