It was only a few hours ago when deadline day came in full swing, with a Mirror “exclusive” claiming that Chelsea were ready to make a move for Watford midfielder Abdoulaye Doucouré. That, however, is not in the realms of reality.
“There have been no inquiries from anybody about any of our players. No one will be leaving today.”
-Watford spokesperson; Source: Sky Sports
Doucouré had been linked with Paris Saint-Germain earlier this season, but they seem to have shifted their sights to Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye instead. The French club are also reportedly interested in signing Willian as an injury stopgap for Neymar, who is expected to miss three months of play with a metatarsal injury.
Nevertheless, Doucouré was probably not an option considered by Chelsea this winter. We already have plenty of “all-around” midfielders in the squad, and even one out on a high-stakes loan in Tiémoué Bakayoko. Adding another player with such a skillset to our group is superfluous, to say the least.