Chelsea smart to avoid Arsenal, Tottenham and Newcastle transfer desperation

Gold & Guest on Weston McKennie

Arsenal train in Dubai during winter break

Chelsea Urged To Sign Manchester United Star To Unlock 'Dream' Midfield

Mason Mount shows off his football freestyle skills on basketball court

Gold & Guest on Lo Celso

What Is Arsenal's Next Move In The January Transfer Window?

The end of January is near and Chelsea's opportunities to make a late move are diminishing.

The Blues have brought Kenedy back to the club from his loan with Flamengo, and redeployed loan stars like Jamie Cumming and Juan Castillo to MK Dons and Charlton Athletic respectively this month.

It's easy to see where Chelsea would have hoped to strengthen during the window with both Ben Chilwell and Reece James out of action. The former will miss the rest of the season, while it is hoped James could make his return in early February.

That left Marcos Alonso has the only fit wing-back in the squad and frustrations that club did not move earlier to plug a gap are understandable.

While Thomas Tuchel's side has been linked to Lucas Digne and Sergino Dest, Chelsea's preference seemed to be to try and prise Emerson Palmieri from his loan at Lyon. The Ligue 1 giants have been reluctant to consider the proposal however, with little time left to change their minds.

It's clear Chelsea have tried to make a move, but Tuchel has been very measured in his approach to the window.

"Nothing has changed but it needs to make sense, to be possible, make sense on a high level, also in terms of quality, personality," he said.

"We have a look into the market, nothing has changed. We have all options, also the option to say no."

January is generally a month of panic buying where teams try to salvage their season and the Blues boss clearly does not the