Chelsea's position in the Premier League table is nota pleasant one for their supporters at the minute. Graham Potter's men are now 10th after results elsewhere and the mere aim of Champions League football seems a distant target.
The Blues have won only one of their previous five games and face Manchester City in their next two fixtures - at home in the league on Thursday, followed by an FA Cup third round tie at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
Any chance of Champions League football taking place at Stamford Bridge is slowly decreasing with Chelsea 10 points away from fourth-placed Manchester United after their win over Bournemouth.
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Chelsea are expected to be busy in the January transfer window as the new-look recruitment team look to enforce an overhaul of the current playing squad. Large parts of Potter's squad are surpassing their peak and there remains an array of concerns across all areas of the pitch.
One position that has been constantly highlighted is the attack. In the summer, Romelu Lukaku (on loan) and Timo Werner both left after failing to fit the bill and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang replaced them. The former Arsenal striker, like his previous counterparts, has struggled to replicate the success enjoyed by the likes of Douglas Costa, Didier Drogba and Olivier Giroud.
The 33-year-old has scored only three goals in 15 appearances for Chelsea and has been used mainly off the bench, with Potter preferring Kai Havertz in his well-established false nine role. The German himself has struggled to find form this season, coinciding with Chelsea's poor season on the field.
Following last night's goalless draw between Arsenal and Newcastle, Paul Merson sent his own transfer instruction to Boehly on how the Blues could return to being a successful team.
He told Sky Sports: "You wait until they go and play against the bottom six teams - they won’t even come out from 40 yards out and they’ll look for a set-piece.
"That’s what you’ve got to do if you want to be a successful team. That’s what happens at Stamford Bridge, teams kick off then run back and sit in front of their goal, it’s why Lukaku doesn’t play for Chelsea no more. There’s no space for you to find and that’s the problem, Arsenal have earned that right and this is what these successful teams like Liverpool and Man City, they find ways to break people down."
Chelsea have already secured the signing of striker David Datro Fofana from Molde this month, albeit with an eye on the long-term. Atletico Madrid's Joao Felix has been strongly linked with a loan move to west London, while Christopher Nkunku's services seem to be confirmed for the summer.
Following Armando Broja's injury in the winter break friendly with Aston Villa, the reliance on a new No. 9 has never been greater. Chelsea have scored the fewest goals in the Premier League top 10 but could find themselves back in the mix for a top-four finish if Potter had an out-and-out striker at hand.
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