Chelsea are on a streak of three winless matches in the Premier League but remain in the hunt for a Champions League berth for next season, although they might need to strengthen their squad in January for the second half of the campaign.
A midfielder’s signing has emerged on their agenda for the winter and Simon Phillips has reported that the Blues are pondering over the acquisition of Nottingham Forest midfielder Elliot Anderson, who has a £100 million price tag.
Manchester United are also keen on the 23-year-old’s addition although they may wait for his signatures until the summer, so Chelsea are hoping to expedite their interest in the player in order to trump their rivals to his capture in the January window.
Anderson move possibly in January
Elliot Anderson is a key part of Nottingham Forest’s plans and is among their players with the highest potential, so it does not come as a surprise that he has a lofty price tag. Nonetheless, a transfer to Chelsea remains on the cards next month.
Owing to Nottingham’s battle with relegation, they could offload a player who might generate a lot of money in January in order to revamp other areas of the squad as they look to back Sean Dyche in every possible way to survive the drop.
In addition to that, the club could lose a lot of bargaining power over Anderson’s asking price if they are relegated to the Championship at the end of the season as numerous suitors would look to acquire him at a discount during the summer.
Anderson also might be open to switching clubs in the January given that Nottingham are not doing too well, even if that means starting in a rotational capacity behind Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo in the Chelsea midfield.
Romeo Lavia’s injury concerns mean the Englishman will get his chances in the second half of the campaign, and the summer would be a good time for him to better settle into Enzo Maresca’s system and contend for a regular berth in the team for 2026/27.
