Chelsea FC Transfers: 6 Players Andre Villas-Boas Could Target in January

Chelsea wasn't its normal, deal-happy self at the most recent transfer deadline.

Romelu Lukaku joined from Anderlecht on August 18, Juan Mata from Valencia on August 24 and Raul Meireles from Liverpool on deadline day, August 31.

But as far as big names go—and it's debatable whether Lukaku should be included in such a group—that was it for Chelsea in August.

So how are the signings working out?

It's still too early to know for sure, of course, but under first-year manager Andre Villas-Boas, Chelsea sits third in the table with 16 points from seven matches, three behind Manchester United and Manchester City.

That's good enough for some clubs. Chelsea will demand more.

The word coming out of west London today is that Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck envisions Chelsea building a dynasty led by Villas-Boas for as much as 10 or 15 years.

According to Buck, that would require less spending in the transfer market and more player development in the club's academy.

With Roman Abramovic controlling the purse, however, that's not ever going to be likely.

Combined with Chelsea's good-but-not-great start to the season, that's why we think the Blues will be back in the transfer market come January.

If they do open decide to spend money, here are six players they might go after.

Stevan Jovetic, Fiorentina

Stevan Jovetic is a 21-year-old (22 next month) Montenegrin striker/winger who currently plays for Fiorentina in Italy's Serie A.

His precocious skills have earned him comparisons to Roberto Baggio and Lionel Messi.

Now that Chelsea fans are excited, here's the skinny. The Guardian says Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich covets Jovetic and then discusses his likeness to a member of the Strokes.

What do you think? I think they've got a point.

Oh, we were talking about transfers, not hairstyles and rockstars. Well, this article seems to think Jovetic isn't heading to England. And this one says Russia's Zenit St. Petersburg is also after him.

So, as usual, this transfer saga is starting to sprout twists and turns.

Luka Modric, Tottenham Hotspur

Speaking of transfer sagas, this one has been going on for ages.

You remember back in the summer, when Luka Modric supposedly turned in a transfer request to Tottenham Hotspur? That was awesome.

Stupid! Dumb question!

Seriously, though, the Modric-to-Chelsea rumours have been around for a long time.

These days, the word is that he's not going anywhere because Spurs are going to pay him Chelsea-like money.

And his manager is saying stuff about sending the right signals (that picture looks like a pretty strong signal to me).

So. What to believe?

Sure, Spurs are offering Chelsea-like money right now. But what happens when Chelsea comes in with even more cash?

Ross Barkley, Everton

The new Wayne Rooney. Er.… something like that.

Actually, the only reason people are making the comparison is that Ross Barkley plays at Everton, is a teenager and has drawn interest from Manchester United.

Just like Wayne Rooney. Aww, how cute.

Anyway, Barkley is an up-and-coming English midfielder who turns 18 in December. So you know that makes him younger than Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). Crikey.

A couple weeks ago, the interwebs blew up with anticipation over Barkley's inevitable move to a bigger club. Chelsea was mentioned here and there.

The latest development is that Everton will reportedly offer Barkley a big deal on his 18th birthday.

This strikes me as odd. Why wouldn't they just offer him a better deal now?

Are they really that sentimental? Because if they are, they should know football players don't act that way anymore.

And they haven't since the Wu-Tang Clan burst on the scene.

Neymar, Santos

By now, everybody knows who Neymar is.

If you don't, go look him up. He's, like, the next Pele and Ronaldo and Messi all rolled in to one. Or something.

Neymar turns 20 in February, and he's been linked with moves to all of Europe's biggest clubs.

Chelsea has also been mentioned.

That report has my favorite line from the whole Neymar saga so far.

"

There has been wide speculation that Neymar's agent has been spreading false rumours, so it's tough to gauge how interested clubs are in the young Brazilian.

"

Only in Brazil.

Sami Khedira, Real Madrid

Forgive me if I can only think of this when I hear the name Sami. (She spells it Sammi, but she can do whatever she wants. She even played soccer in college and everything.)

Anyway, this Sami is Sami Khedira, the German international midfielder who plays for Real Madrid.

He's been linked with a £20 million move to Chelsea.

Gary Cahill, Bolton

Gary Cahill was strongly linked to Arsenal during the last transfer window but a move never materialized.

Now, Chelsea is reportedly interested. It's a good bet Chelsea would be willing to spend more for Cahill, so stay tuned.