September 29th 2023.
Mauricio Pochettino has confirmed that Chelsea are already in the works of planning their January transfer window strategy, with speculation that they will be competing with Arsenal for Brentford striker Ivan Toney. The 27-year-old scored 20 Premier League goals for the Bees last season and narrowly missed out on being included in England's World Cup squad.
Toney is currently serving an eight-month ban for breaching Football Association betting regulations, but is eligible to make his return in the New Year. Brentford are hoping to take advantage of this situation and spark a bidding war that could land them as much as £80 million.
Chelsea have already spent £500 million on new playing talent over the summer, but they still appear to be short of a recognised goalscorer. This issue is even more pressing ahead of Monday's west London derby against Fulham, with Nicolas Jackson suspended. The Blues have also been hit with a long-term injury to Christopher Nkunku, who joined from RB Leipzig in the summer.
Discussing the situation, Pochettino said: "I think the football [we are playing] is very dynamic and now we have to work on the recovery of [injured players], like Nkunku to help us have more goals and be more solid. But of course, we already start to work [on January]."
With Jackson suspended, Pochettino must now figure out how to fill the void left by the Senegalese player. He added: "We have a few options to play with a striker or without a striker. I will see how they are and how they recover from Wednesday."
It looks like Chelsea are certainly making moves to acquire a new goalscorer in the January transfer window, and Ivan Toney could be the answer to their prayers. It remains to be seen whether Arsenal will provide competition, or if Brentford can spark the bidding war they are hoping for.
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