We used Football Manager 2026 to find out what Chelsea’s January transfer business might look likplaceholder image
We used Football Manager 2026 to find out what Chelsea’s January transfer business might look lik | Getty Images
We used Football Manager 2026 to find out what Chelsea’s January transfer business might look like
The Blues produced a masterclass in mid-week to beat Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge - and the alarming factor for most of the top sides in Europe is that they did so without talismanic midfielder Cole Palmer, who has barely kicked a ball this season despite being the driving force for the team in both of the two previous seasons.
After winning the Club World Cup and Conference League over the summer, Chelsea have started to get a taste for winning trophies for the first time since Todd Boehly inherited the West London side from Russian billionaire Roman Abrahomvich - and if they get things right in the winter on the transfer front than they could well get their hands on some of the biggest prizes on offer.
To help us paint a picture of what kind of business and his team might make we turned to the most accurate simulation of the footballing future available - Football Manager 2026. Here’s after simulating a year or so into the future, we take a look at how Chelsea got on.
Chelsea sign PSG star and former Real Madrid hero in bold January prediction
As in real life, the January transfer window, is usually slightly more quiet than the summer, meaning there weren’t a whole host of major changes to the Chelsea squad, these were the additions.
Lucas Beraldo - £30m signing from PSG: On FM26, Chelsea splashed out £30m on Paris Saint-Germain defender Lucas Beraldo. The 22-year-old Brazil international played 38 times for the capital club last season as they became first French side to win a continental treble and just the second Ligue 1 team to win the competition after Marseille in 1993. Beraldo is primarily used as a central defender by Luis Enrique, but is also capable of playing in the left-back position. It’d be a fairly smart signing in real life given Levi Colwill’s injury problems, although it’s highly doubtful that they’d get him for a figure of less than £30m.
Isco - loan signing from Real Betis: Former Real Madrid playmaker Isco actually played against Chelsea last season in the Conference League final and caused plenty of problems in the first half as the Andalusia outfit entered half time ahead before losing 4-1. He’s an experienced footballer at 33-year-old that’s worked his way back into the Spain squad after a series of stellar displays. However, he’s not what you’d expect the Blues to sign in real life due to their tendency to sign younger players.
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Andrey Santos - loan move to RB Leipzig: The Brazil international did really well at Strasbourg during a loan spell in France last season and gets another move away from Stamford Bridge in this series of events. He played the full 90 minutes for the first time this term against Burnley last time out and made a solid impression.
Tosin Adarabioyo - sold for £6.5m to Lille: The former Fulham defender is the only permanent departure on FM26, moving for just £6.5m to French giants Lille. Tosin is very much a utility player at Chelsea, but he’s worth far more than the game suggests after a steady but unspectacular first 18 months at Stamford Bridge.
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