Few truly believed Chelsea could pull it off. Not in January at least. A squad overhaul? That is work for the summer when the transfer window is open for two-and-a-half months, not just 31 days.
Yet co-controlling owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have proved during their short tenure at Stamford Bridge that they are unafraid of a challenge. So a spending spree unlike anything ever seen in the winter window was undertaken, with the final outlay above the £300million mark.
Deals for Gabriel Slonina and David Datro Fofana were done early while Brazilian youngster Andrey Santos was also recruited. Benoit Badiashile then arrived from Monaco to shore up a creaking defence. Joao Felix joined on loan from Atletico Madrid. Mykhailo Mudryk was convinced to sign and spurn interest from Arsenal in the process.
