Chelsea can spend big on new striker as court lifts transfer ban

Simon Johnson
6 Nov 2009

Chelsea have targeted a spending spree on new players in January after the Court of Arbitration for Sport today agreed to their request to have their 18-month transfer ban suspended.

The club made the plea as part of their appeal to CAS over FIFA's ruling in September that they couldn't sign any players until 2011 having found them guilty of inducing Gael Kakuta to break his contract with Lens in 2007.

The suspension of the punishment will stay in place until the court reach their own decision on the matter, but such is their busy schedule at the moment, they are not expected to deal with the case until February at the earliest.

It means Chelsea will be able to buy in the New Year and they have already set their sights on Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero (right), who scored twice against them in the Champions League in mid-week.

Senior players also want Aston Villa's Emile Heskey to sign, as revealed by Standard Sport last month, because they see him as a player with a similar style to Didier Drogba. Signing a striker is at the top of Chelsea's priorities because during January they will lose top-scorer Drogba, Salomon Kalou — as well as Michael Essien and John Obi Mikel — who will be playing in the African Nations' Cup.

Sporting director Frank Arnesen has also been monitoring Benfica's midfielders Angel di Maria and Javi Garcia, as well as forward Fabio Coentrao.

New chief executive Ron Gourlay, who officially took over from Peter Kenyon at the start of the month, has already stated that the club do have the funds available to buy new players.

He said: “We have the money if we decide we want to spend it, but then the right player has to become available.”

Boss Carlo Ancelotti insisted today that his current squad is strong enough to cope but may change his stance in January.

He said: “We have this possibility to look for new players thanks to this decision, and we have the time to do it. But we don't want to take a decision at the moment.

“I'm very happy with the squad and these players and it's not necessary at the moment to take new players. I know we will lose four squad members in January, but if we maintain the players' fitness we can cope without our African contingent.”

Chelsea feel they have built a strong case against FIFA's ruling and are optimistic that it will be reduced.

However, at the same time, they will bear in mind that CAS could still uphold FIFA's decision and as things stand, that would mean not being able to spend in the summer of 2010 or January 2011, so, as a result Chelsea may gamble and buy more players after this Christmas.

The news of CAS's decision comes as a major boost for Chelsea's title chances ahead of their clash with Manchester United at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.

They are already two points clear at the top of the Premier League and Ancelotti feels it is the perfect time for his team to take on the champions.

He added: “We are happy to play this game. I think we are doing very well, we are in good condition and we have a very good mental attitude.”

The Italian now believes the title is a three-horse race and that Liverpool, who are nine points behind Chelsea, are no longer a threat. “I think Arsenal have a good chance to finish first. Liverpool are behind but Arsenal have a good team and a very good chance to win.”

Player to watch - Wayne Rooney (Manchester United)

The England striker became a father for the first time in the week and he would love nothing more than to mark the occasion by experiencing his first win at Stamford Bridge. The 24-year-old has not had much luck as a player on his trips to south-west London, whether in an Everton or Manchester United shirt. He has scored only once at the ground and that was in a 2-1 defeat for Sir Alex Ferguson's side last year. It was also the venue for one of the worst moments of Rooney's career. In April 2006, he was part of the United side that lost 3-0 to Chelsea, which handed them the title, but didn't finish the match because he broke his metatarsal. Still, he is in the kind of form to ensure a change of fortune, having scored eight times this season, and with the arrival of son Kai he will surely have a special goal celebration in mind.

Team news

Carlo Ancelotti is expected to have nearly a full squad to choose from after John Obi Mikel (ankle) and Yury Zhirkov (knee) returned to fitness. Only right-back Jose Bosingwa (knee) is doubtful and he may need an operation to cure the problem.
Manchester United will be without Rio Ferdinand due to a calf injury but are set to welcome back Dimitar Berbatov (knee), Ryan Giggs (hip) and Nemanja Vidic, who has been passed fit after recovering from a calf problem. Gary Neville is suspended and Park Ji-Sung is still working on his fitness after a series of minor ailments but Darren Fletcher is available after recovering from an ankle injury.