Dangerously quiet January seen as a “sensible move” by Chelsea insiders | OneFootball

Chelsea had a very quiet January compared to what was expected. After a strong start to the season, results had started to dip over Christmas, and it was becoming clear where the weak points in the squad were.

Players like Joao Felix and Renato Veiga who weren’t playing much were shipped out, but nothing came in to replace them. In his moment of need, Enzo Maresca was left with a weakened rather than a strengthened squad.

Like a punishment for hubris from the gods in a Greek play, injuries started to rain down just as the window closed, with Nicolas Jackson, Marc Guiu and Noni Madueke all joining the injury list in the subsequent week.

Liam Twomey’s article on the Blues January business, claimed the quiet January was all part of a masterplan looking towards next summer:

“Chelsea, who never intended to be big buyers in the winter market, largely restricted themselves to conversations that lay the groundwork for a more active summer,” Twomey wrote in his piece for the Athletic, calling it “probably the sensible move.”

Chelsea gamble finds out its result in weeks to come

Enzo Maresca looks lost on the touchline as Brighton batter Chelsea.

Now maybe we’re being cynical, but that sounds a very generous assessment of the situation, and one which is likely coloured by the club sources which are giving him the most positive possible spin.

A month on from the deadline, with two strikers and two wingers out, a wide man playing up top, Joao Felix struggling on loan, a lack of cover in midfield and plenty of other situations not working out as hoped, we wonder if even an improvement in results can cover up what was basically a January which failed to deliver on helping manager Enzo Maresca in the short term?

There may well be groundwork being done ahead of an important summer, and it usually is better to be patient and methodical – but if we end up missing out on the Champions League, this gamble can surely only be seen as a failure.