January Transfer Window: 5 Moves Chelsea Should Consider Before the Deadline

There aren't many days left in the current January transfer window, and we are nearing the stages where clubs start to dot the i's and cross the t's on their proposed moves for players. 

With the January transfer window enabling clubs to add fresh legs to their squads, I take a look at five players who could potentially be part of the Chelsea squad come February 1st, and the areas in which they would benefit the team.

A name many fans may have heard of now, Kevin De Bruyne has been a Chelsea transfer target for a considerable amount of time, and it seems as if Chelsea may now get their man. 

Chelsea came extremely close to signing De Bruyne at the start of the season, but a fee with Genk, his current club, was never agreed. 

It seems to be a good move for manager Andre Villas-Boas, even though he stated that De Bruyne is not his choice. De Bruyne plays in a wide-left position currently at Genk and has gone from strength to strength, cementing his place firmly in the Genk squad.

The move, which is believed to be worth 8 million pounds, would allow De Bruyne to see out the rest of the season on loan at Genk, allowing him to build up his repertoire as a player.

De Bruyne, 20, would be just another youngster to join the Chelsea regime under AVB, and the third to come out of Belgium, behind Thibaut Courtois and Romelu Lukaku.

His addition may free up a more central role for Juan Mata, who is currently playing on the left-hand side of an attacking three, but with nothing finalized and now with FC Twente sniffing around Chelsea, may have to move quick to grab their man. 

Creativity seems to be the focus for Andre Villas-Boas, as the next player on the list is Eden Hazard, a vibrant and explosive attacking midfielder currently playing his trade in France for Lille. 

Hazard is a player in high demand, with a host of massive clubs showing a real interest in the 21-year-old player from Belgium; yes, I said Belgium again. These clubs include the likes of Real Madrid, Manchester United and Chelsea.

Hazard was originally quoted as saying that he would only join Real Madrid, but with major interest from some of Europe's top clubs being more fruitful, Hazard reconsidered. 

It was reported earlier this month that Chelsea had submitted an offer to Lille for the Belgian, but that was quickly denied with Lille stating that they would only take 33 million pounds at the least for their star man.

However, Lille director Fredric Paquet confirmed that the club would find it very difficult to keep hold of Hazard in the summer. 

Hazard is once again a player who can unlock a defence, something that is still really lacking at Chelsea despite the addition of Juan Mata in the summer. To take someone like Eden Hazard on board would be a great bit of business from owner Roman Abramovic and Andre Villas-Boas as they look to bring Chelsea back into contention for the league and European championships. 

The third player on the list, and the third attacking midfielder being targeted by Chelsea this January. Only a recent name to be mentioned, but when Willian's name was suggested as a possible target he didn't waste any time in declaring his interest in a move to London.

Shakhtar confirmed that Chelsea had bid for the Brazilian midfielder but they were holding out for a larger transfer fee. However, they did state that if Chelsea met their demands, they would sell Willian to Chelsea. 

Willian would once again provide the cutting edge that Chelsea need so badly in the centre of the park, and with the player already stating that he would jump at the chance of joining, you must ask the question: "Why is nothing happening?"

This always seems to be the way with Chelsea; they've had the whole of January to try to sign a player to fill this role, and once again there are only a few days left. Bring on the panic that saw them buy Fernando Torres last January for 50 million pounds.

Willian is equally adept at playing on the wing as well as in the centre, which gives more freedom to Juan Mata. It's been a reoccurrence throughout, but I'm afraid that is the only reason why Chelsea need this kind of player. 

Here we go again, yet another creative midfielder. It's becoming rather repetitive, but the pursuit of Lucas Moura, 19, is an interesting one.

Lucas has already gained 10 caps for his native Brazil, and it is almost certain he will go far. It was reported that Chelsea have already had a 29 million pound bid rejected by Sao Paulo and that they will only consider a move in the summer.

This could be good news for both parties, as it allows Lucas to finish the season at Sao Paulo and join in summer, when he has more time to jell with his teammates, if he ever makes the move.

I would consider this a high-priority move for Chelsea, as they need this kind of player, and I won't mention why again, considering that it's been mentioned in every slide so far.

Whatever happens I highly doubt that Lucas will be part of Sao Paulo for much longer after summer, definitely a name to keep an eye on.

This is a very, very interesting one, and one that could cause a media frenzy in the coming days. It was reported Sunday morning that Chelsea were ready to make another attempt to sign misfit Adam Johnson from Manchester City for around 14 million pounds.

Chelsea were amongst the frontrunners to sign Johnson while he played at Middlesborough but were beaten by City. However, Johnson was never really a first choice player at Manchester City and is now overshadowed by the likes of David Silva, James Milner and Samir Nasri.

That is a shame because Johnson is an immense talent and has the chance to become a great player if he gets some more playing time, and with the departure of Nicolas Anelka and the immanent departure of Salomon Kalou at the end of the season, Chelsea need someone to fill the gap. 

Johnson provides great pace and agility on the wing and his ability to cut inside is profound. This is the player Chelsea want, and let's add nationality to the frame: Johnson is English. 

I am pretty much sure that if Chelsea tried, they could capture Johnson in the next few days. Pull your finger out AVB, you've got work to do.

We've looked over five current transfer targets for Chelsea, and there is a resounding similarity in each one.

Chelsea do severely lack the contemporary flair of the current footballing world, and any of the players mentioned in the article would fit the bill.

The added flair and creativity would ultimately benefit the team's ability to score goals, something that wasn't an issue under previous manager Carlo Ancelotti.

Take that last point: Chelsea never struggled to score goals under the watchful eye of Carlo Ancelotti. So are the players the problem? It's too late now for Chelsea to change their minds about management. Andres Villas-Boas is in for the long haul by the look of things but needs to get to work.

Fast.