Chelsea to switch to 'contingency plans' after being beaten to January transfer
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Chelsea may have to rely on "contingency plans" after being beaten to the loan signing of midfielder Douglas Luiz by Aston Villa, according to reports.
On paper, Chelsea should not have been in the market for a centre midfielder in January, considering the number of options they have at this position.
Romeo Lavia and Dario Essugo's injury problems, however, mean that head coach Liam Rosenior practically only has Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, and Andrey Santos as natural midfield options, with Reece James and Malo Gusto being make-shift alternatives.
Additionally, following Facundo Buonanotte's exit, Fernandez's minutes as a number 10 will only increase, especially since Cole Palmer is still not at 100 per cent fitness-wise.
It is therefore not a surprise that they had reportedly been interested in the possibility of signing Juventus' Luiz, who joined Nottingham Forest on loan last summer.
Unfortunately for Chelsea, The Telegraph claims that Luiz has decided to return to Aston Villa for another loan, despite interest from the London club.
Chelsea might have expected this outcome as well, since a report from The Athletic mentions that the club have contingency plans ready in case they fail to sign Luiz, which seems to be the case given the latest reports.
There is not much time left in the January transfer window, so it is unclear if Chelsea could even accomplish the so-called contingency plans.
It is worth mentioning that, unlike with centre-backs, for which Chelsea had the right to recall Aaron Anselmino from Borussia Dortmund and still have a similar clause with Strasbourg over Mamadou Sarr, they do not have this option for a centre midfielder.
There are a few academy midfielders who could step up if needed, such as Reggie Walsh, who already made several senior appearances under former head coach Enzo Maresca.
However, it remains to be seen if Rosenior rates Walsh and other development players as highly as his predecessor.
According to a more recent report from The Athletic, Chelsea ended their pursuit of Luiz early after an initial enquiry. Instead, they want to prioritise Andrey Santos and other existing options in the squad.
Gerry Crisandy is a freelance writer who has covered Chelsea for many years. His work has been published on The Chelsea Chronicle and Pride of London. He grew up idolising Michael Ballack and is a firm believer in expected goals.