By their recent standards, Chelsea had a very quiet January transfer window, but could have a potential issue coming down the tracks at the end of the season.
Their only senior acquisition was 19-year-old French midfielder Mathis Amouogu who joined in a �12million deadline day move from Saint-Etienne, a far cry from their �220million summer spending spree that saw 11 new faces arriving at the club.
Chelsea's summer spree came after the clubs sixth-placed finish last season and coincided with the hiring of new boss Enzo Maresca, who has the team currently sitting fourth in the Premier League table.
Chelsea facing transfer outlay for star
Chelseas transfer strategy in recent years has tended to lean towards buying potential stars, rather than the finished article, with the majority of the new faces brought in over the previous couple of years either teenagers or in their early 20s.
Jadon Sancho was signed on loan by Chelsea from Manchester United at the end of the summer transfer window, with the club hoping that the England winger would be able to show the kind of form that convinced the Red Devils to spend �73million on him in the summer of 2021.
With his Old Trafford career stalling, Sancho spent the second half of last season on loan at Borussia Dortmund, playing a key role in the German sides run to the Champions League final, but he has struggled to make a similar impact at Stamford Bridge, starting just 11 Premier League games as he competes for playing time in a congested squad.
The 24-year-old has turned out 22 times in all competitions, scoring just twice and laying on six assists.
Given the competition for places in the Chelsea side, the Blues may be concerned that Sanchos loan move contains an obligation to buy the forward at the end of the season when the summer transfer window opens.
According to the BBC, the price agreed is between �20million and �25million and the player will now need to end the season strongly if this is to represent good value for a player that would have had just one year left on his contract at Old Trafford come the summer.
In FourFourTwos opinion, the clock is ticking on Sancho, who Transfermarkt value at 30million. He will turn 25 next month and should be approaching his peak years, but has not hit the heights of his first Dortmund spell, when FourFourTwo ranked him as one of the best 100 players in the world, since returning to English football.
Is Chelsea the best club for a player looking to re-establish himself after a testing period at Manchester United? Probably not given the amount of attacking options the club have brought in over the past few windows, so another move after this deal is made permanent is something that all parties may need to look at.
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