The World Cup led the way in demonstrating the skills of high class midfielders and that comes as good news for Chelsea. The Blues are searching for replacements and reinforcements for the centre of the park with Jorginho and N'Golo Kante both out of contract at the end of the season, ageing and not completely part of the long-term vision.
When it comes to finding new bodies to fill their potential void there is no shortage of names. Declan Rice and Jude Bellingham have been on the table since the summer, as has Edson Alvarez from Ajax. The latter is the only one of those that may come in January though and that is just as important as looking to the summer.
Additions are needed swiftly and hence why the World Cup has not only unearthed some new stars, it has strengthened the belief of how good some players are. Although it is unlikely for a risk to be taken solely off of an international tournament anymore, hence the lack of reports linking sides to Morocco's Azzedine Ounahi, when a player stands out at a competition on the biggest stage it can reinforce interest.
