Chelsea have spent heavily under Todd Boehly in 2023, and it looks as if that could continue in the New Year, with the Blues ready to trigger the release clause for a star full-back.
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Those at Stamford Bridge were extremely busy in the summer, bringing in manager Mauricio Pochettino and 16 new signings ahead of the 2023/24 campaign.
Chelsea summer signings
Axel Disasi (Monaco)
£38.5m
Nicolas Jackson (Villarreal)
£30.1m
Christopher Nkunku (RB Leipzig)
£52m
Kendry Paez (Independiente del Valle)
£17.27m
Robert Sanchez (Brighton)
£25m
Moises Caicedo (Brighton)
£115m
Lesley Ugochukwu (Rennes)
£23.5m
Angelo Gabriel (Santos)
Undisclosed
Alex Matos (Norwich)
Undisclosed
Diego Moreira (Benfica)
Undisclosed
Ishe Samuels-Smith (Everton)
Undisclosed
Dujuan Richards (Phoenix All Stars Academy)
Undisclosed
Romeo Lavia (Southampton)
£58m
Deivid Washington (Santos)
£17.1m
Djordje Petrovic (New England Revolution)
£14m
Cole Palmer (Manchester City)
£42.5m
All fees courtesy of Sky Sports
They would have been hoping for a much-improved Chelsea side from last season, however, at this moment in time, things haven’t gone to plan for Pochettino, Boehly and co. A 2-0 defeat to Wolves on Christmas Eve was the latest low point, with the club already losing eight of their 18 Premier League games and finding themselves in the bottom half of the table ahead of tonight’s clash with Crystal Palace.
As a result, the Blues could once again turn to the transfer market in 2024 in a bid to turn things around, with the likes of Sporting CP centre-back Ousmane Diomande and Napoli forward Victor Osimhen just two high-profile players they have been linked with in recent days. Pochettino himself has also recently hinted at the need for more signings, saying after the defeat to Everton:
"After the first half of the season, we need to check. That is the reality. If we are not receiving enough, maybe we need to do some movement. That is the thing to analyse with the sporting directors, to see if we can change this dynamic and improve in the second half of the season. We need to be more aggressive. Then it's a massive assessment and when the transfer window opens, we will see what we can do.
"I don't say if I am going to ask for more or less players. It's to see if the perception matches the reality. We are missing something. We need to improve our reality."
A new full-back also appears to be of interest, with an update from Spain claiming that Chelsea are looking to sign Bayer Leverkusen right-back Jeremie Frimpong ahead of Real Madrid. The report states that Chelsea ‘intend to close it as soon as possible’ and ‘will not spare any expenses’.
The Blues are ‘beginning to be fed up with Reece James' injuries’, so appear ready to trigger Frimpong’s £35m release clause which is also cited in the update.
Jeremie Frimpong's stats in 2023/24
Frimpong, once dubbed "dangerous" by Riga boss Mihails Koņevs, has gone from strength to strength since joining Leverkusen from Celtic back in 2021, with his Transfermarkt valuation rocketing from €4m to a career-high €50m.
The 23-year-old, who can also play further forward as a right-midfielder if needed, has scored an impressive seven goals and provided 10 assists in 22 appearances this season, showing his quality in the final third. (Jeremie Frimpong stats - Transfermarkt)
As mentioned, James’ ongoing injury struggles look set to keep him out well into 2024, so Malo Gusto is the only senior right-back option available to Pochettino. Therefore, signing an in-form full-back like Frimpong appears to make perfect sense, so it looks as if it’ll be one to watch in the New Year.