At dawn on Monday, Chelsea shook hands with Nottingham Forest in a 1-1 draw away from home in the English Premier League. The team has won only one game in the last seven rounds of league matches, and is now seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester United, with UEFA qualification slipping away. Chelsea's boss, Pawli, decided to make a massive recruitment drive when the January transfer window opened, planning to sign five players in a bid to save themselves. More surprises followed as the team managed to acquire French center-back Banlote Batiatshouli for 35 million pounds before the match.
Chelsea's performance this season has been disappointing, shortly after the start of the season, they swept Doucou out of the door, but Park Darling took over and did not turn the tide. Although Staanen broke the deadlock in the 16th minute, Forest's counter-attack was much sharper, and Aurilia scored in the 63rd minute in the melee. Chelsea fought back but failed to turn the game around in the end, and ended up with a 1-1 draw. The team has lost 6 points in the last 7 rounds of the league, and is only in the eighth place in the table.
After Chelsea invested over £250 million in pre-season reinforcements but saw their results drop rather than rise, Pawleys have continued to invest more in January, having announced the signing of Ivory Coast striker David Cofinna. Two more transfers are reportedly set to be completed this weekend, including the £11 million acquisition of Brazilian midfielder Andilly Santos. The 18-year-old starlet arrived in London accompanied by his family to undergo a medical, and the transfer papers are ready for him to sign.
French center-back Benoit Badiachouli, who plays for Monaco, has also reportedly agreed to join Chelsea and will undergo a medical in London on Monday, signing a contract until June 2029 for a transfer fee of 35 million pounds. In addition to David Cofinna, Andres Santos and Benoit Badiazoli, Chelsea are also in talks with Benfica to acquire Argentine midfielder Ansel Fernandez, as well as negotiating the loan of Atletico Madrid striker Zouo Felix. If all goes well, Chelsea's strength will be significantly improved.
