Despite taking the lead in Tuesday night’s Premier League match against Southampton, Thomas Tuchel’s Chelsea suffered a 2-1 defeat after the Saints completed a surprise first-half comeback.
Following their incredible performance which earned them all three points, the Saints leapfrogged Chelsea in the table and now sit seventh on seven points.
Chelsea, although on the same points tally, will be bitterly disappointed with how they have started the new 2022-23 season.
Having won just two of their first five matches, Tuchel will be pulling hair out, especially considering new owner Todd Boehly has already spent well over £150m on five new players, including bringing in Raheem Sterling from Manchester City.
However, despite splashing the cash earlier in the window, according to recent reports, the Blues’ summer spending is far from over yet.
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Even though there is less than two days before the window’s deadline, Chelsea are still targeting as many as three new players.
That’s according to a recent report from ESPN, who claims Tuchel ‘remains hopeful’ of landing Barcelona striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and is continuing to target Everton’s Anthony Gordon, as well as Crystal Palace’s Wilfried Zaha.
None of these deals will be easy to get across the line though.
Gordon, especially, will be a tough deal to conclude. The young winger is incredibly important to Everton and Frank Lampard’s long-term plans. Interestingly though, it has been noted that a mega-money offer from Chelsea could force the Toffees into a ‘rethink’.
With regards to Zaha, his situation is similar to Gordon’s. He is vital to his team and manager but only has 12 months left on his deal, so if the Eagles are going to bank a transfer fee for the Ivory Coast, Deadline Day will likely be their only chance.
Finally, as for Aubameyang – he is perhaps the likeliest to join the Blues. Negotiations have been ongoing for some time now. The final hurdle remaining in talks is believed to be agreeing on a final fee, as well as allowing the player to join on a two-year deal.
Whatever happens between now and Thursday night’s deadline, one thing is for sure, if Tuchel is to bring in any more players, his employers must act quickly. Time really is running out.