Chelsea fans may be hoping for a busy January transfer window so that boss Thomas Tuchel can bolster the club's chances of silverware at the end of the season – but it may not necessarily be what happens.
With players such as Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger yet to sign new contracts, Tuchel could opt to bring fresh faces in sooner rather than later to replace them before their deals expire at the end of the season.
With Atletico Madrid loanee Saul Niguez also yet to make his mark on the Stamford Bridge first XI, Tuchel could be forgiven for wanting to bring in the midfield boost he had hoped for from the Spaniard from elsewhere.
The Chelsea coach has also been pressed on whether he wants to bring in another forward to ease the burden on Romelu Lukaku following his return to the club in the summer.
But when he was asked whether he would be forced into the market in January ahead of his side's match against Newcastle on Saturday, October 30, Tuchel hinted there may be very little business at the club over the winter window.
And his comments could hint at the Stamford Bridge outfit's approach to signings in the coming months.
He said: "Oh no, you cannot predict that you lose your three offensive key players at the same time. This is quite unlucky.
"You cannot have a a squad with four, five, six, seven key [attacking] players and three of them constantly waiting for another three to get injured. This does not exist in real life.
"I’m happy with the guys who are on the pitch tomorrow [against Newcastle] and I trust the guys who are on the pitch.
"It is a bit of a stretch, the group is tested but okay, so it’s a test. We want to make it and prove that we are a strong group and can compensate for situations like this."
