Chelsea have endured a very difficult December, with just one Premier League win falling into their lap from five clashes.
Last time out, they were the latest outfit to fall victim to Aston Villa's unbelievable winning run, with a loss at the very start of the month to relegation-threatened Leeds United also stinging, as they continue to fall short of the top four positions in the competitive league.
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Enzo Maresca could even find himself out of a job soon at Stamford Bridge if his side's form doesn't dramatically improve, with the January transfer window coming at a great time for the under-pressure Italian to try and get some new bodies in through the door to turn around their up-and-down campaign.
Chelsea targeting move for £100m star
It was a very frustrating day at the office for Chelsea against Villa, with 14 shots on the away side's goal not enough to clinch a win.
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To solve some of their attacking issues, Maresca could look to bring in former Manchester City playmaker James McAtee, as per rumours, alongside Kenan Yıldız, who continues to be linked with a move to West London, away from his current employers, Juventus.
A statement move could also be in the works in the middle of the park in the form of Crystal Palace ace Adam Wharton, with the Daily Mail reporting that Maresca and Co. are targeting the 21-year-old, who is valued at £100m.
The Blues appear keen to go about strengthening the options centrally, with Nottingham Forest powerhouse Elliot Anderson also named as being on Chelsea's agenda, alongside Wharton, as the likes of Romeo Lavia are still out injured.
How Maresca can form his own Matic & Kante
Maresca could potentially able to unearth his own Nemanja Matic and N'Golo Kante duo at Stamford Bridge if he were to land the Eagles superstar, as Wharton attempts to strike up a memorable partnership alongside Moises Caicedo.
Chelsea's record with Matic & Kante playing
Matic & Kante
Games played together
Wins
Draws
Losses
Premier League titles
Sourced by Transfermarkt
Although they would only line up alongside each other for 35 games, both Matic and Kante would very much complement each other when lining up together as the midfield heartbeat in West London.
Indeed, Kante would be the far more energetic, combative presence of the two, with 5.6 duels won on average across the 2016/17 season, helping Chelsea to the Premier League title.
Matic, on the other hand, would be a far classier operator with the ball at his feet, with a standout seven assists coming his way in league action that same season, off the back of averaging a high 88% pass accuracy per contest.
Wharton would hope he could fall into Maresca's first team plans and be as instantly impactful as the "very comfortable" Serbian - as his ex-boss Jose Mourinho labelled him for his ability to always pick out a pass under pressure - with the Palace number 20 already up to seven big chances created from deep for Oliver Glasner's Eagles this season in the Premier League.
Crystal Palace's Adam Wharton reacts after the match
Left-footed like Matic, too, everything is pointing in the direction of the Englishman being a memorable pick-up like the number 21, with Wharton's ability to pick out a killer ball at a moment's notice, also seeing him be lauded as a "passing machine" by journalist Henry Winter.
Caicedo will happily take on the more sprightly role to rival that of Kante, with the ex-Brighton and Hove Albion star already averaging 5.4 duels won for the season, which isn't too dissimilar to the dynamic Frenchman's peak at Stamford Bridge, when the title was triumphantly lifted.
He has also averaged a tenacious 5.7 ball recoveries, with pundit Jason Cundy even comparing Caicedo to a "leech" for how hard he must be to shake off from an opponent's point of view.
Together, they could be a match made in heaven, like Matic and Kante were once upon a time, as Maresca attempts to build a Chelsea side that can push themselves back into the Premier League title reckoning.
Adam Wharton
At the moment, they're some way off competing with Arsenal at the very top of the ladder, but with £100m potentially splashed on Wharton, Chelsea will show they mean business, as they attempt to recapture their former glories.
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