The Athletic: What Chelsea’s sporting directors spent the January transfer window doing | OneFootball

The Athletic believe they know exactly what Chelsea’s co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart did this January.

I can give you the short answer:

Absolutely nothing!

EXCLUSIVE! The SIXTEEN players Chelsea made attempts on trying to sign in January but failed!

They did manage to sort out a handful of loans for some players who wanted out, and also signed another 19-year-old old for the future. But in terms of improving the squad for the here and now, that was completely ignored.

So what DID they do this January apart from sit there and twiddle their thumbs? Well, The Athletic believe they know, and I think the answer will more than miff most Chelsea fans!

They report that much of co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart’s winter recruitment efforts focused on exploring the availability of bright young wingers, such as Alejandro Garnacho, Jamie Gittens and Mathys Tel.

Right, OK, sure, we all believe you… ! Oh dear.

Mathys Tel in action for Bayern Munich. (Photo by Sebastian Widmann/Getty Images)

In other news

London is Blue Podcast give the transfer window a VERY bad review.

“Our sporting structure has a lot of egg on their face right now. It’s bad business across the board here. I mean, you bought players only to loan them immediately,” Presenter Nick Verlaney said.

You’re bringing back players who should have been with the squad all along. It looks like a lot of mismanagement all around. And if you ask me right now if Chelsea have a better squad for the second half of the season than they had for the first half – I think the answer is unequivocally: ‘no’.”

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s only incoming new signing for January was finally announced by the club late yesterday afternoon!