Chelsea Transfer News Roundup: Bayern Munich end Trevoh Chalobah chase, Tottenham not in Conor Gallagher talks, and more - January 7, 2024

Chelsea secured a resounding 4-0 win over Preston North End on Saturday in the FA Cup. Goals from Armando Broja, Thiago Silva, Raheem Sterling and Enzo Fernandez helped Mauricio Pochettino's team progress to the next round of the tournament.

Meanwhile, Bayern Munich have ended their pursuit of Trevoh Chalobah. Elsewhere, Tottenham Hotspur are not in talks to sign Conor Gallagher in January.

On that note, let's take a look at the major Chelsea transfer news from January 7, 2024.

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Bayern Munich end Trevoh Chalobah chase, as per journalist

Trevoh Chalobah is unlikely to move to Allianz Arena this month

Bayern Munich have ended their pursuit of Trevoh Chalobah, according to journalist Florian Plettenberg. The English defender has been sidelined with an injury since last summer and is not part of Mauricio Pochettino's plans at Chelsea. With Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile among the players ahead of him in the pecking order, Chalobah is expected to be offloaded this month.

The Bavarians were heavily linked with the Englishman in the summer, but a move failed to materialize. The Bundesliga champions were reportedly engaged in talks in the past couple of days to facilitate a deal in January, but have ultimately decided to back away. Despite Thiago Silva's uncertain future, the Blues have no plans to reintegrate Chalobah into their squad. The 24-year-old is expected to return to full fitness at the end of this month and could now leave Stamford Bridge on loan.

Tottenham Hotspur not in Conor Gallagher talks, says journalist

Conor Gallagher has admirers at Tottenham Hotspur

Tottenham Hotspur are not in talks to sign Conor Gallagher, according to journalist Paul Brown. The English midfielder's contract with Chelsea is set to expire in 18 months and he hasn't signed an extension yet. Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano has stated that the Blues are willing to offload him this year for the right price. Football Insider have reported that Spurs are already in talks to sign the 23-year-old.

However, speaking to GIVEMESPORT, Brown has rubbished those claims.

"Sources inside Spurs were very quick to make clear that they are not currently in talks with Chelsea for Conor Gallagher, so make of that what you will. It doesn't mean that the transfer might not end up happening by the end of January, but there is always a reason why a team comes out to deny something so quickly. I would take any more news from Italy about that one with a pinch of salt," said Brown.

Gallagher has started 22 of his 24 appearances for the west London club, and remains a key figure under Mauricio Pochettino.

Football pundit slams Mauricio Pochettino for Chelsea form

ESPN Pundit Julien Laurens believes Mauricio Pochettino has failed to improve Chelsea so far. The Argentinian manager took charge at Stamford Bridge last summer and has since invested a small fortune on the squad. However, the Blues are yet to reap benefits, with the team languishing at tenth in the Premier League after 20 games.

The London giants were taken to task by Preston North End in the first half of their FA Cup third round tie on Saturday. While Chelsea ultimately got the better of their opponents, Laurens was hardly impressed. Speaking after the game, the Football Pundit slammed the team's performance and Pochettino's lack of impact so far.

"Nobody can tell me this team is improving! I don’t see any improvement week after week, game after game. But how long (does Pochettino need)? This is January 2024 now, he’s been here since the 1st July. I want to see something," said Laurens.

He continued breaking down Chelsea's lacklustre performance.

"The first half literally you and I [lists ESPNFC pundits] and Freddie and Kate we could have played because there was no movement, nobody was doing anything and the ball was clearly just, well lets just try to find Sterling somehow, lets maybe wait for a run by Palmer…The full backs don’t participate in anything really. Those attacking midfielders don’t do much either.”

Laurens was also critical of Chelsea's tactical play, insisting that it puts too much pressure on Enzo Fernandez.

“I don’t see patterns of play, I don’t see finding the third man, I don’t see anyone running into space. I don’t see much really. We go back to the lack of movement and the lack of identity to this team, if you give Enzo the ball but around him there’s no movement from either your full backs or for your wide players, even from your striker to come a bit deeper between the lines, Enzo can’t do anything. He’s very good on the ball but he’s not a magician either," said Laurens.

The Blues are expected to further invest on their squad this year.