Problems Galore: Finding Chelsea a Hitman

Behind the billions of Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich, the new era of free-flowing and attacking football has become quite a scene.

Staying away from the traditional defensive systems deployed by Claudio Ranieri and Jose Mourinho, the sudden change has come as a pleasant suprise to the faithful at Stamford Bridge.

However, if one were to go by expressions, new manager Avram Grant certainly hasn't looked the most joyful or excited during his matches.

Perhaps the problems of finding a top class striker during the January transfer window have been weighing on his mind.

Talk about a great problem to have. The likes of Derby, Wigan, and Sunderland must be left scratching their heads and wishing they had that kind of a problem to deal with.

With star strikers Salomon Kalou and Didier Drogba due to leave on international duty with the Ivory Coast national football team during the African Nations Cup, one can bet that Grant will be scrambling to find a suitable cover for the hitman. 

For a club of Chelsea's quality, depth will be required behind Peruvian Claudio Pizarro and Ukranian Andriy Shevchenko during the January months in both the UEFA Champions League and the English Premier League.

For Shevchenko's case especially, he will be desperate to justify his hefty fee and prove to the Chelsea supporters that he is still capable of achieving great success. Whether or not Chelsea can rely on them to provide a solid attack on a consistent basis however is another story.

Perhaps an even greater issue would be the fact that Drogba has consistently hinted at leaving Chelsea after being unsettled by the departure of his former manager, Jose Mourinho. Unless Drogba has a complete change of heart, it would not be suprising to find that he could be on his way out of London at season's end.

Despite the billions avaliable to Chelsea, the Blues haven't had the best track record when it comes to landing a top striker. In recent times, Adrian Mutu, Hernan Crespo, and Meteja Kezman all had trouble adjusting to the English Premier League.

That's not to say that these players didn't have talent. Performing at top form in their respective leagues prior to their Chelsea careers, the tactics deployed at Chelsea and the style of play in England just didn't quite suit them properly.

For Avram Grant, this will be his first opportunity to open Roman Abramovich's cheque book when the January transfer window comes around. Of course, like any other manager, Grant will have to be extremely cautious of finding the proper striker for the style of football that Chelsea desires.

The future of nomadic Bolton Wanderers striker Nicolas Anelka has been speculated over for the past few weeks in the English media. Despite this, Anelka has denied the speculation and could be staying at Bolton if there aren't any suitable offers.

With many clubs in the Premier League and Europe rumored to be keeping tabs on the French talisman, Chelsea will have to come up with yet another bold bid if they are to walk away with Anelka. Chelsea are expected to make a £15 million bid when the window opens up. 

Whether or not the 28 year-old Anelka would be a good long term solution for the Blues up front remains to be seen. Regardless, Anelka would be a definite boost to a Blues' side that could use his presence in both domestic and continental competitions.  

Chelsea have also been linked with Arsenal's Danish wonderkid Nicklas Bendtner. Considered to be high on sporting director Frank Arnesen's wishlist, it wouldn't be suprising if the Blues launched a bid to pry away Bendtner from their bitter London rivals.

Struggling to find his way into Arsene Wenger's first-team, Bendtner would be a welcome addition to a Chelsea side in need of depth up front, regardless of the temporary departures of Drogba and Kalou.

Valencia striker David Villa has also joined the headlines over a possible move to Stamford Bridge. Struggling in the La Liga and out of the UEFA Champions League, Villa has been rumored to be frustrated with the underachieving Spanish giants. A move to Stamford Bridge would be an interesting scenario if it were to unfold.

It's safe to say that Avram Grant will have his hands full in finding suitable targets when January rolls around. But then again, if Pizarro and Shevchenko were to find their form and turn their play around, who's to say that there will even be a need for another striker to join Chelsea?