Chelsea: Top 5 Transfer targets in January

Hardly a transfer window goes by in which Chelsea don’t sign a big name, so here’s a list of the potential players who might sign for Chelsea in the current Transfer Window :

5. Marouane Fellaini

(Everton)

With rumours emerging that Chelsea are not going to extend Frank Lampard’s contract beyond this season, they will look for a midfielder to fill his boots, which, in my opinion, is not possible considering that Lampard is the most influential player in the current team after Captain John Terry and also because in the modern day, there is hardly any midfielder who gets over 20 goals a season on a regular basis – something Frank Lampard so easily did before last year.

Marouane Fellaini, the 25 year old Belgian, who currently plays for Everton is widely considered as the player who Chelsea will look to if Lampard does leave which is eminent after what has happened in the past few weeks.

If Chelsea do sign Fellaini in January, it would be a great buy considering that they are having sort of a crisis in the midfield with Romeu injured and Mikel leaving for African Cup of Nations.

Positives: Fellaini, being a Belgian, won’t have too much trouble in settling into the club considering that Chelsea already have 5 Belgians in their team, 4 of whom are away on loan. Having played with Everton for over 4 years now, he won’t need much introduction to the Premier League too.

Negatives: Fellaini will only be signed for Chelsea if Lampard leaves, and if Lampard does leave, the fans won’t be too happy with the club and I don’t think they or even I will ever get over the fact that he has left, in which case they won’t fully support the player who replaces him.

Possible Fee: Above £25 million considering his age and importance to Everton

Chances of Signing: 35%.

4. David Villa

(Barcelona)

After being knocked out of the UCL, losing 3 finals and being way behind the league leaders, many fans might be wondering where it might have all gone wrong for Chelsea. In my opinion, the only problem Chelsea have is in the department of scoring goals. A club does not simply win the Premier League without having a striker who scores at least 25+ goals a season.

David Villa might just be the answer to all of Chelsea’s problems considering that he can be played both as a winger and a striker.

With Villa coming in, Torres might just start to perform because he didn’t have much competition for his position for much of the season. Even though it is unclear if he will be signed on loan or on a permanent basis, he will surely be a welcome buy considering Chelsea’s drought in the striker’s department.

Positives: David Villa, having played with Juan Mata for 3 years at Valencia, won’t have too much trouble in re establishing their partnership, and with the Chelsea team full of Spanish players, he won’t have too much trouble in settling in London.

Negatives: David Villa is 30, at which age a striker should be at his peak, but with lack of playing time, he hasn’t been able to find goals on a consistent basis. Also, he won’t be a good buy if Chelsea are looking for a goal scorer in the long term.

Possible Fee: Around £12m-£20m.

Chances of Signing: 60%

3. Paulinho

(Corinthians)

Paulinho is another midfielder who is on Chelsea’s shopping list. With the club lacking depth in the defensive midfield area, he might just be the solution to all their problems.

Currently tracked by big clubs like Chelsea, Manchester City and Inter Milan, this young Brazilian has attracted much interest from the top teams in Europe. He is known for his physical toughness, he is also a threat from set pieces and has a work rate quite similar to fellow Brazilian Ramires, which would be quite welcomed at the club.

Positives: He is a big and tough guy, and hence won’t have much trouble adjusting to the physical game of the Premier League and with the Chelsea side filled with Brazilians, he would feel quite at home.

Negatives: Paulinho has made it quite clear that he does not want to leave Corinthians, who are one of the richest team in South America, and if a club comes knocking, they have the funds to keep their players from leaving.

Possible Fee: Above £20m.

Chances of Signing: 30%

2. Demba Ba

(Newcastle)

The Senegalese striker had been linked with a host of clubs because of a buyout clause of only £7.5m in his contract. But in the recent past, it has emerged that Chelsea are leading in the race to sign this striker. Since arriving in the Premier League, Ba has scored 36 goals in 66 matches, including 13 goals this season.

Demba Ba has been the only source of inspiration in a Newcastle side which has looked out of sorts this season. With Ba playing in front of the trio of Mata, Hazard and Oscar, one can only imagine what he might be capable of doing.

Positives: Ba is an experienced Premier League player and has a cheap buy out clause for a player who scores goals for fun.

Negatives: It has emerged that Ba is demanding a 5 year contract and a triple increase in his wages, something that Chelsea are not willing to give him.

Possible Fee: £7.5m

Chances Of Signing: 75%

1. Radamel Falcao

(Atlético Madrid)

Currently playing for Atlético Madrid, he is widely regarded as one of the best players in the world. He has won 2 Europa League titles, having scored in the finals of both, and this year he won the UEFA Super Cup after scoring a hat-trick against Chelsea, something which Lionel Messi would only dream of doing.

After the departure of Club legend Didier Drogba, Chelsea have really lacked a big match player, which was pretty evident in all the three finals which they lost, because of which Falcao is exactly the player who we need.

Even though it seems less likely that he will sign for Chelsea in this transfer window, reports suggest that he will sign in the summer.

Positives: If I begin with the positives, then the list might be too long for anyone to read.

Negatives: Like Torres, Falcao will probably cost over £45m and he would come to the Premier League with a reputation to maintain. Only time will tell if he will be a hit or success.

Possible Fee: Above £45m .

Chances Of Signing: 75%.

Other Possible Targets: Theo Walcott(Arsenal), Willian(Shakhtar Donetsk), André Schürrle(Bayer Leverkusen).