Chelsea weighs January targets as delegation in box fuels transfer talk and FA fines mount

Chelsea traveled in force to Manchester on Saturday, with a sizable delegation in the directors’ box that included co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Paul Winstanley, chief executive Laurence Stewart, head of recruitment Joe Shields, Sam Jewell, Daniel Finkelstein and other Chelsea officials. Also in attendance was David Weir, a figure who recently departed Brighton as technical director. Chelsea officials stressed the appearance of Weir in Manchester was not evidence of a recruitment link to Brighton. They noted Weir’s long-standing ties with Winstanley and said his visit was personal and situational, not part of a formal scouting or hiring push. Nevertheless, the gathering fed ongoing speculation about where Chelsea might focus their January spending and how the club’s recruitment operation is evolving behind the scenes.

Chelsea’s focus on transfer activity comes amid results that have put pressure on the squad. In Manchester United’s arena, Chelsea fell 2-1 as Robert Sanchez was sent off after four minutes, complicating the visitors’ task from the outset. Sanchez’s early dismissal forced 23-year-old Filip Jorgensen into his first sustained run as No. 1, and the youngster showed he is not yet ready to supplant the Spaniard on a permanent basis. The plan now is for Sanchez to return after serving his suspension in midweek’s cup ties, allowing him to be available for the Premier League visit of Brighton on the weekend. The broader goalkeeping situation remains fluid as Chelsea balance development with results under Enzo Maresca.

The match was also notable for Chelsea’s off-ball dynamics. On the touchline, Maresca’s staff have continued to refine routines and responses under pressure, and Chelsea remain encouraged by progress in other areas, even as the planical results in the league have been challenging. The club’s wider scouting operation has been active, with Chelsea’s co-owners and recruitment leaders seen following the club’s broader network, including ties to the Continent where young talents have previously been tracked. In Lincoln, Chelsea’s involvement in the Carabao Cup third-round tie drew attention as well, with Eghbali attending the match in which the club pressed to balance cup commitments with league priorities.

Mike Penders, the 20-year-old goalkeeper on loan at Chelsea’s Strasbourg sister club, has been one of the young players highlighted by the recruitment team as part of their longer-term strategic outlook. Penders’ development at Strasbourg has been watched closely as Chelsea consider future options in goal, while the broader goalkeeping pipeline continues to be assessed. Eghbali’s presence at Strasbourg’s 3-2 win over Paris FC on Sunday underscored the owner’s continued interest in evaluating young talent across affiliates, and Jewell’s own involvement in global recruitment supports the club’s evidence-led approach to identifying prospects who could contribute in several windows.

Chelsea have signaled that they have set aside funds for January, keeping a buffer to pursue targets if the right players become available. The club has previously shown a willingness to move quickly on targets once a window opens, citing past work on players such as Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens, with initial interest materializing into signings later. While no announcements are imminent, the sense from Chelsea is that January remains a measured, opportunistic period rather than a full-scale overhaul.

The club’s disciplinary record continues to attract scrutiny. Chelsea were fined £25,000 by the FA after their 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford, following six yellow cards shown to the Blues, including one to Enzo Fernandez and a red card to Sanchez. The fines build on a pattern from last season when Chelsea faced repeated sanctions for exceeding the FA’s six-card threshold. In the current campaign, Chelsea have accumulated 12 yellow cards in five league games—two behind the league leaders for the moment—highlighting a discipline issue that Maresca and his staff will be keen to address as fixtures accumulate.

Buonanotte, who arrived on loan from Brighton, will not be eligible to face his parent club this weekend, with no confirmed update yet on Cole Palmer’s status. Palmer’s groin issue has limited his availability, and while surgery remains a last resort, the club is intent on managing the problem without immediate operative intervention to avoid an extended layoff. The loan signing’s role remains in flux as Maresca weighs balance across the forward line and midfield, aiming to preserve the club’s competitive edge across competitions.

Chelsea’s tactical staff and analysts continue to examine set-piece routines and refereeing dynamics that shape matches. Bernardo Cueva, Chelsea’s set-piece coach who also performs a broader compliance role—some have described him as a guardian of the laws—has increasingly stepped in to flag issues to the fourth official when Chelsea feel rules are not being applied correctly. This clinical attention to details was evident in Lincoln, where Chelsea were observed contesting certain officiating calls and throw-ins that affected the flow of the game. Maresca’s approach remains to minimize disciplinary setbacks while maximizing opportunities for younger players who can accelerate their development at the top level.

Geovany Quenda’s situation was also noted by Chelsea observers. While the identity of the staff member who conveyed messages to Quenda remains undisclosed, Confidential reported that the 18-year-old winger is set to join Chelsea next summer in a £40 million deal after an impressive season with Sporting CP. Quenda’s performance—culminating in a standout Champions League display against Kairat Almaty—drew early praise from Chelsea circles and reinforced the club’s conviction about his potential impact when he arrives.

Looking ahead, Marc Guiu’s situation remains delicate. A recent EFL rule change could have allowed him to feature at Lincoln, but a late niggle ruled him out, a setback that compounds Chelsea’s ongoing loan strategy. If Guiu sees even a single minute for Chelsea this season, FA rules would prevent him from going out on loan in January should he not have already represented three clubs in the same campaign. With Delap targeting a November return from his own injury, the prospect of Guiu securing a place in Maresca’s plans will hinge on fitness, form and the club’s January decisions. The manager has signaled that Guiu will still have opportunities to prove himself in the near term, even as January looms and questions about the squad’s balance persist.