Chelsea Transfer News: What Blues Must do on Final Day of January Window

Jose Mourinho has already substantially added to his squad during the January transfer window with the signings of Nemanja Matic and Mohamed Salah.

Salah arrived from Basel to replace Juan Mata, while Matic was signed from Benfica to fill the void left by Michael Essien who departed for AC Milan.

The purchase of Matic, a technically gifted midfielder, allowed Mourinho to dispense of the ageing and injury-prone Essien and bring in someone who will do much of the side's dirty work, allowing the likes of Oscar and Eden Hazard the opportunity to thrive.

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Salah will also see the benefits of Matic's role. The fast-paced and tricky Egyptian winger will receive the ball out wide and be given the chance to terrorise opposition defences in much the same way as he did for Basel when he scored twice against Chelsea.

There is still one thing missing from Mourinho's January shopping spree though, and it is not the potential addition of Kurt Zouma who is more likely to arrive in the summer, as reported by Matt Barlow in the Daily Mail.

What Chelsea still lack is a world-class striker, as was highlighted in the frustrating goalless draw at home against West Ham on Wednesday night.

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Although Manchester City went top of the table, the Blues had the chance to move into second and push Arsenal into third.

In the eyes of Mourinho, a perfectionist, dropping two points at Stamford Bridge against a team in the relegation zone will be a missed opportunity.

The former Inter Milan and Real Madrid manager looks to have missed out on the signing of Wayne Rooney, who, as reported by Nick Metcalfe in the Metro, is likely to sign a new contract with Manchester United in the summer.

But he could have made an effort to sign Diego Costa of Atletico Madrid, per Adrian Kajumba in the Daily Star. It is unlikely the Brazilian-born striker would depart the Spanish capital midway through the season, but an offer could have been tabled to find out.

In the Evening Standard, Simon Johnson argues that without the services of a top-class frontman Chelsea lack the teeth to win the title:

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Decisions in the transfer market can often come back to haunt a club and Chelsea continue to pay the price for failing to sign a world-class striker last summer.

Chelsea’s lack of a quality forward has provided the main subplot throughout Jose Mourinho’s first season back at Stamford Bridge.

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If Mourinho has left it too late to sign someone of the required ability on deadline day, then he must make it his first priority in the summer.