Rosenior reveals stance on Chelsea January activity after “surprises” since replacing Maresca

Chelsea head coach Liam Rosenior has suggested that he is in no rush to add players to the first-team squad during the winter transfer window.

Rosenior is currently preparing to take charge of his second Blues game with Chelsea squaring off against Arsenal in the first leg of their EFL Cup semi-final on Wednesday night.

Away from the pitch, there is speculation as to what business Chelsea may conduct in the transfer market over the coming weeks.

While some attention is being paid to the destinations of loan players and facilitating departures for backup squad members, reports persist that Chelsea are assessing their options with regards to incomings.

Nevertheless, as quoted by BBC Sport, it appears that Rosenior would prefer the club’s recruitment team to hold fire with any business.

Rosenior reveals plan for talks over Chelsea transfers

Rosenior has hinted that the performance of certain players in Saturday’s 5-1 victory over Charlton Athletic in the FA Cup third round left him pleasantly ‘surprised’.

The Englishman said: “The first conversation I had with the guys [the club’s hierarchy] was I want to assess the most important players, which are the ones who are here. Normally you get good surprises if you give people a chance.

“I had some really, really good surprises in the game against Charlton. Yes, we’re in January, and yes, we want the club to be as successful as possible in the short term.

“But I also think sometimes the answers lie within the building and not outside. So I’ll make a decision on that with the guys. Probably later in the week when I’ve seen everyone.”

Do Chelsea need to act in transfer market?

Under Enzo Maresca, as many as 25 different players were used in the Premier League, with no squad members starting each of the 21 fixtures.

Some players, such as Jorrel Hato, Facundo Buonanotte and Marc Guiu, were vastly under-used by Maresca, but they all impressed at The Valley last weekend.

Club officials were against Maresca adding a new centre-back to his ranks to replace the injured Levi Colwill in the summer, and that stance may remain the same.

Unless a market opportunity presents itself or Chelsea part ways with two current first-team squad members, it feels unlikely that they will bring in a fresh face over the coming weeks.