Chelsea’s summer business has been far from perfect, but the most questionable decision of all was selling Nemanja Matic to Manchester United.
Even if the Serbian found himself in and out of the side last season under Antonio Conte, his departure has left the Blues in a much weaker position. His man-of-the-match performance for United in their 4-0 win over West Ham has only left Chelsea looking sillier.
It’s clear Conte wants more depth in central midfield, as he has immediately set about looking for his replacement.
According to the Telgraph, the club are set to see a second bid for Danny Drinkwater, this time around £25million, knocked back.
Leicester reportedly value him at closer to £40m, which means Chelsea would have to part with all of the money they earned from the Matic deal.
The Foxes are in a strong position, as even if Drinkwater is only going to be a squad player at Stamford Bridge, he is highly valued because he is a homegrown player, is two years younger than Matic, and has four years left on his current contract.
Roman Abramovich will not take kindly to being held to ransom, but defeat to Burnley at the weekend served as something of a wake-up call and Chelsea surely have to dip into the market again to avoid a repeat of that performance.
Check out Football Advisor for profitable betting predictions
