Chelsea are the current Premier League leaders and they're going by their performances this season, they have it all figured out under new manager Antonio Conte. While having essentially a similar squad at its core, the Londoners have risen from a side who finished tenth in the league to one who could win it by ten points.
But the squad has its weaknesses – as exposed when they played Tottenham Hotspur and West Bromwich Albion earlier this month. Couple that with the fact that Diego Costa is being a naughty boy in the training field once again and you feel the team could use a few new faces to ensure they keep the lead all the way till the end of the season.
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Having been linked with a host of stars already, here are five players Chelsea should target in the winter transfer window:
#5 Ben Gibson
Chelsea are actively looking to replace their captain, John Terry. The Englishman has been an icon for the club over the past few decades but is coming towards the end of his playing career with the Blues.
And with China showing signs of luring him away on a permanent basis come the summer, Chelsea are on the lookout for a young Englishman who could come in and take over from where Terry left off.
Middlesbrough's Ben Gibson is one such target. The 24-year-old has been exceptional for Aitor Karanka's men ever since joining them in 2013 and has been linked with a move to a host of English giants. Gibson is tall, fast and reads the game excellently, making him a target worth pursuing.
#4 Mauro Icardi
The Blues are on the lookout for a striker with Diego Costa acting cranky in recent weeks and should target the likes of Mauro Icardi in the winter transfer window. Although the move is nigh on impossible, Conte has the experience to deal with big names to at least give it a shot.
Icardi is on fire for Inter Milan this season and seems to be improving all the time having already scored 17 goals in all competitions this season. And while his game isn't based heavily on building up and creating chances, he'll fit right in at Chelsea given the system they employ.
He's excellent at finishing chances inside the box and with the kind of creative midfield Chelsea have, he'll flourish unlike ever before. Conte knows him and could devise the team to function efficiently around him. A striker of his ilk will want nothing more.
#3 Geoffrey Kondogbia
While the midfield pivot of N’Golo Kante and Nemanja Matic seems to be getting Chelsea results, you can't help but imagine how much more successful the system will be with someone who could equally contribute defensively and pass the ball from any sort of angle.
Conte was always interested in signing Radja Naingollan and Stefano Sturaro for that very purpose but having lost out on signing them, he ought to look into the next big thing: and 'big thing’ is apt when describing Geoffrey Kondogbia.
The 23-year-old Frenchman hasn't been a hit with Inter Milan but has all the right ingredients to succeed with a top-level European team. He's great with the ball at his feet able to dribble out of tight situations and has the kind of vision to find a pass far up ahead.
If Cesc Fabregas was younger, fitter, taller, defended more and born in France, he'd be called Geoffrey Kondogbia.
#2 Michael Keane
The more you think about it, the more you wonder just why Manchester United let go of young Michael Keane. Louis van Gaal didn't see the Englishman fit into his system for whatever reason but should Jose Mourinho have had the choice to sell, he'd definitely have been against it.
The now 24-year-old is turning into the kind of player who Burnley can single-handedly depend on to ensure they have many more years in the English Premier League. He's a rock-solid defender capable of commanding the ground and the sky with ease.
He's really quick for someone who's 6’1” and has the reading ability to be targeted by some of the biggest clubs on the continent. Manchester United want him back, Chelsea are in for him and so were Arsenal. He's a great performer and is English – which would be fitting for the Londoners given Terry was such an icon for the club.
#1 Andrea Belotti
Perhaps the wild card on this list is Torino's Andrea Belotti. The 23-year-old is having a dream season with the Turin club in the Serie A having already scored 16 goals in all competitions.
His willingness to finish off chances and not give up on the ball when in play has had a huge effect on the way the whole team are playing football – seeing as they're eighth on the table with the potential to rise significantly by the end of the season.
Belotti is a threat in the air given his strength and leap and with Chelsea often supplying balls into the box from the wings, it seems fitting that they go in for someone like the 23-year-old Italian.
