Chelsea now 'more optimistic' over signing £70m star at Stamford Bridge | OneFootball

It's a crucial point in the season now at Chelsea after the back of an excellent January transfer window. Now is the time for results on the pitch.

Of course, with all these new signings arriving at the club, there is going to be a period of bedding in and gelling. Enzo Fernandez for example, only trained for one part of a training session last week before being thrown straight into the mix against Fulham. He was still one of the best players on the pitch. But at the end of the day, it will take some time for these players to learn what Graham Potter wants from them, and to gel with their team mates.

Chelsea were left frustrated against Fulham on Friday, and it was another reality check for Blues fans really. Expectations had grown after all the new shiny arrivals in January, but it was the usual suspects putting in average performances that seen them struggle to even manage two shots on target all game in front of their own fans at Stamford Bridge.

It's a pinnacle moment for Chelsea now, because the owners still have a belief that they can now push for top four, as tough as it might be. But to do that, you have to win games like Fulham at home. So there will be a period of time now where Potter will be working in training with his new signings, as well as a host of returning injured players. He will know that he has to get them all ticking together on the pitch, and he will know that the results have to come now as the club's hierarchy continue to back and support Potter as the long term project manager.

Speaking of projects, Chelsea's will continue into the summer despite spending around £300m in the winter window. There are still some positions that the club will look to address in the summer, and once again it is the midfield that will be a priority. Chelsea need to find the perfect double pivot partner for Enzo, to allow him to be unlocked and play with creative freedom. The club will know this and that is why once again I am starting to hear midfield names that we have on our radar for the summer.

Potter still has a desire to work with Moises Caicedo at Brighton again so there are chances they could go back in for him, but the club have already started laying down some groundwork for West Ham's Declan Rice for a potential summer move. There will be serious competition from Arsenal as well. I've been hearing more optimism this week on Chelsea's chances to land Rice - valued at £70m by The Telegraph. But there's a long way to go yet on this one.

In attack as well they will be looking to replace Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, who could even still leave before the summer, with rumours of a move to the MLS coming to fruition today. Aubameyang was removed from Chelsea's Champions League squad and then didn't even make the matchday squad for Fulham. He was instead spotted in Milan. There's more going on here behind the scenes and something has developed. I was told over the weekend that he would be training with the U21s this week, that's if he even comes back at all. It's a situation that could develop fast now, but at the very least, he will be gone in the summer. I feel there is more than meets the eye here.

There are even still doubts on Kai Havertz's Chelsea future, despite Bayern Munich sources playing down their interest. Bundesliga clubs are monitoring and he still has a lot to prove this season if he wants to stay at Stamford Bridge.

Regardless of that, Chelsea lack a true number nine, and there have been legit links with Victor Osimhen of Napoli again this week. Chelsea have been scouting him for some time, even before the new owners came in, and he's still a player they really like under the new recruitment team. As I reported last week as well, Brentford's Ivan Toney is on the Chelsea radar, but they need to wait and see what happens with his gambling case. Dusan Vlahovic from Juventus is another number nine that Chelsea continue to monitor.

The only other priority position will then be goalkeeper, but Chelsea at the moment are still deciding what kind of stopper to pursue. The club and Graham Potter really like Kepa Arrizabalaga, and he continues to play well for Chelsea. So there will be a decision to make now whether Chelsea pursue a top class new number one, or someone more really to backup Kepa. They are looking at a host of names already, with Robert Sanchez at Brighton, Diogo Costa at Porto, and David Raya at Brentford on the list. I've also been told Chelsea like Southampton goalkeeper Gavin Bazunu and he could be another to keep an eye on.

The bottom line is that the club need to sell some players to ensure they balance the books and keep on top of revenue for FFP. Hakim Ziyech was the victim of a 'technical error' on deadline day (although it depends which side you ask) that saw his move to PSG break down. So you can almost guarantee that he will be off in the summer. Christian Pulisic is actually liked a lot by Potter, and the club have been refusing to give up on him. But a decision will need to be made by all parties there very soon, with a contract running out in 2024. The same scenarios exist for Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek as well. The club are currently deciding who to try and offer new contracts to, and who to let go. Some big decisions to make there.

To conclude for today, Chelsea and Potter know that the club need to do all they can to try and make Champions League football. It isn't the be all and end all this season, but there's an acceptance that they must throw it all at trying to make it. The club are in transition, and nobody is expecting miracles straight away. I don't believe that Potter's future depends on it right now, but it would certainly be interesting to see what happens if they don't.