Chelsea may sign winger to ease injury woes
Maurizio Sarri has revealed he may have to add a winger to Chelsea’s January transfer wishlist, but has defended his use of Bayern Munich target Callum Hudson-Odoi.
Chelsea have been working on trying to sign a striker in this transfer window, but injuries to Pedro, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Hudson-Odoi have left Sarri worried about his options on the flanks.
The club are in talks over the recruitment of Christian Pulisic, who can play on either wing, but Borussia Dortmund have so far been adamant the United States international will not move this month.
Despite Olivier Giroud suffering an ankle injury against Crystal Palace, Sarri ruled out recalling loanees Michy Batshuayi or Tammy Abraham to his squad.
Asked if he was thinking about either Batshuayi or Abraham, who has been in prolific form for Aston Villa, Sarri said: “No, because I have the option with [Eden] Hazard in this position. We have [Alvaro] Morata and Hazard, who can play very well in this position. So I think that at the moment I don’t need another striker. Maybe another winger.”
It is believed Chelsea will consider loaning out Morata if they can bring in a new striker, and discussions have taken place regarding Gonzalo Higuain, who is on loan at AC Milan from Juventus.
Sarri was booed for substituting Hudson-Odoi over Watford, although it transpired the 18-year-old had felt pain in his hamstring.
Hudson-Odoi has only 18 months left on his Chelsea contract and has refused the club’s offer of a new deal while he waits to see if he will be given first-team chances. That has sparked interest from clubs across Europe, with Bayern indicating a willingness to pay £20m (R367m) for him.
But Sarri believes HudsonOdoi, who has made five firstteam appearances this season, should be content with his progress.