As the clock ticked down against Burnley with Chelsea frantically chasing to find a winning goal after Burnley's surprise equaliser from Matěj Vydra, some minds could have wandered towards the need for a different attacking option.
If this game had taken place last season, Thomas Tuchel likely would have been able to call on either Olivier Giroud or Tammy Abraham. Given both departed in the summer transfer window to Italy, Tuchel only really has one traditional centre forward to choose from in Romelu Lukaku.
After the Belgian's injury, along with Timo Werner's hamstring issue, suddenly there was a panic over the Blues attacking options and the lack of depth was brought up again as January nears.
Granovsakia to solve this issue in the winter transfer window to bolster Chelsea's attacking options heading into the second half of this season.
The recent example of Olivier Giroud signing from Arsenal in January 2018 is the strongest example you could present of a mid-season spend coming in and having an overwhelmingly positive impact for Chelsea. You only have to speak to supporters on how they feel about Giroud to grasp why his transfer was a success.
Scoring big goals for Antonio Conte as the Blues won the FA Cup, the following season in the Europa League triumph under Maurizio Sarri and then for Frank Lampard to help Chelsea qualify for the Champions League.
Though Chelsea must resist the temptation to buckle for a player they simply do not require. Context is required for the 2018 window given Alvaro Morata's terrible form after the Christmas period which never fully recovered before he was sold the next year. Antonio Conte's consistent battle with the club's hierarchy, demanding a new forward in the window to help solve his growing attacking issues as form massively dipped.
By the time Chelsea reach January this year under Thomas Tuchel, the hope will be that Chelsea is in a prime position in the Premier League to seriously challenge for the title against Manchester City and Liverpool.
But there is the reality of Chelsea outlaying quite a lot on their attack in recent years. Starting with the £60m signing of Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund in 2019, the around £150m spent on the trio of Hakim Ziyech, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz in 2020, adding the record-breaking addition of Lukaku for £98m this past summer.
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