Transfer Tidbits

The transfer window slams shut in just about twelve hours, which means that if we're lucky we'll see a whole bunch of exciting moves made tomorrow. What's far more likely is that nothing of note happens and that I'll be sitting at my computer hitting refresh every twelve seconds until I sprain my thumb, but we can always hope for something shiny.

We know that Chelsea have money available and that they've pursued both Neymar and Stoke City goalkeeper Asmir Begovic. That doesn't necessarily mean that there's stuff going on behind the scenes, but the Blues have the resources to make things happen. We can also identify a major area of need - Chelsea are in dire need of defensive cover, as only two out of the four defenders truly capable of playing centrally are available. The transfer window represents an insurance policy in case either injured player fails to come back as scheduled, and the team will have to look extremely seriously at dipping into funds in order to stabilise the back line. Purchasing a defender may prove totally pointless, but by not buying they would run the risk of disrupting the whole team.

The more I think about it, the more it seems to me that the solution is to make a huge splash on a genuinely elite player. Buying an adequate backup is all well and good, but should Jeffrey Bruma and Branislav Ivanovic come back quickly there'll be no place for the new buy. On the other hand, buying a David Luiz type would make an immediate contribution to the first team both now and in the long-term future, which means that no money is wasted either way. I favour a move of this type, but such a purchase appears unlikely with the rumours around the club dying down and the transfer window so close.

Other tidbits from around the league:

• Franco di Santo looks set to move to Wigan Athletic for the sum of £2M. di Santo always showed great potential but never came close to realising it in games. Hopefully the change of scenery does the Argentine some good and he flourishes with the Latics.
• Stoke City have confirmed that Chelsea made a bid for 23 year-old goalkeeper Asmir Begovic, which was rumoured to be in excess of £4M. They have also issued a statement in which they said they rejected the offer and have no intention of selling their second-choice goalie.

What are your thoughts on Chelsea's potential moves or lack thereof? I know many of you are of the belief that nothing will happen; I guess I'm closer to 50/50 but could be easily persuaded either way. In the meantime, feel free to use this as a transfer deadline open thread.