Chelsea sign £45m Liverpool defender and Crystal Palace gem in mega January transfer window prediction

Chelsea were one of the most intriguing Premier League teams heading into 2025/26, but five weeks after the season burst into life at Anfield, Enzo Maresca’s Blues have provided more questions than answers.

But at Stamford Bridge, the answer to any question is usually to spend more money on talented youngsters, so gear up for another busy transfer window in January after Chelsea signed nine players for fees in the summer yet almost managed to still break even.

There’s even an argument to be made that they’re not even really a football team any more and really just a footballer trading scheme.

Where Chelsea teams of old were personified by stalwarts like John Terry, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Frank Lampard, Eden Hazard, Ashley Cole and the slightly less heralded Cesar Azpilicueta, Branislav Ivanovic and John Obi Mikel - who all made over 200 Premier League appearances in Royal Blue, it’s hard to see who in the current crop could replicate those legacies aside from Cole Palmer and Moises Caicedo.

So far this season Chelsea have been swept aside by Bayern Munich and Manchester United, only looked comfortable when thrashing hapless West Ham and required VAR help against Crystal Palace and Fulham, along with an entertaining yet unconvincing draw to Brentford.

Having conceded eight goals in their last four games, three of them against teams who finished in the bottom 11 of the Premier League last season, defensive reinforcements will be targeted while Chelsea were unable to bring in another permanent attacking midfielder in August so Grok identified those as key areas when we asked it to predict the Blues’ 2026 January transfer window.

Guehi and Konate in Chelsea’s double heist of Liverpool

Ibrahima Konate - £45 million from Liverpool - Konate’s contract expires in 2026, which means it’s been the worst time for the Frenchman’s form to nosedive as he’s struggled to reach the heights of Liverpool’s title-winning campaign. But still aged 26, Konate has made more Premier League starts than any of Chelsea’s available options at centre-back and Levi Colwill is set to still be out injured by the time the January window slams shut.

Marc Guehi - £50m from Crystal Palace - Transfer fee aside (apparently Grok doesn’t recognise contracts) the case for Chelsea hijacking Liverpool’s failed attempt to sign Guehi is a strong one as the 25-year-old could stay in London and return to his boyhood club while the Eagles recoup for something for their star, especially if their European campaign isn’t going to plan.

Fermin Lopez - £40 million from Barcelona - Fermin had made a blinding start to the La Liga season with 2 goals in 4 games (at a strike rate of one every 97 minutes) but a muscle injury sustained against Getafe may open the door to Marcus Rashford to cement a spot in the starting lineup after his stunning Champions League brace against Newcastle.

And with Barcelona continually walking a financial tightrope amid their delayed return to Camp Nou - with the Catalans ever forced to play a home game at the 6,000-capacity Estadi Johan Cruyff - cashing in on Fermin could become increasingly attractive.

Kenan Yildiz - £35 million from Juventus - Another player who was linked with Chelsea this summer, the tricky Turk has all the tools to become a superstar in the Premier League. Yildiz would delight neutral and partisan fans alike with his X-factor moments and has the versatility to play anywhere in attack.

Frozen out stars Sterling and Disasi finally set free

Raheem Sterling - £15m to Arsenal - It would be no surprise to see Sterling depart Stamford Bridge this summer as he’s already been forced out of the club in every way aside from officially, but it would be a surprise to see him wind up back at Arsenal after his ineffective loan spell there last year.

Axel Disasi - £20m to Marseille - Disasi would mark a departure from Marseille’s usual transfer policy of signing players accused of some of the worst crimes imaginable - sexual assault, manslaughter and violence - unless the Phocaeans know something we don’t.

Instead, the only controversy surrounding Disasi has been Chelsea’s treatment of him; freezing him out alongside Sterling. The 27-year-old has previously played his homeland for Reims, Paris FC and Monaco, and the latter were linked with a move for him in the summer alongside Marseille.

David Datro Fofana - £8m to Union Berlin - Fofana wasn’t exactly prolific on loan at Union Berlin, scoring twice in 17 games, but one of those strikes was in the Champions League against reigning Serie A champions Napoli, before he was called and sent to Burnley for the remainder of the season.

But he’s averaged a goal every 22 minutes so far in 2025/26 at Turkish Super League side Karagumruk (he’s scored one goal) so maybe this is his breakout campaign, still aged just 22.

AI-predicted 2026 Chelsea starting XI: Grok clearly has a good grasp of the Todd Boehly regime as it initially named a 4-2-4-1 starting XII, but after that mistake was rectified, here’s what it gave us: Sanchez; James, Konate, Guehi, Cucurella; Caicedo, Fernandez; Neto, Palmer, Yildiz; Delap.