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Mykhailo Mudryk was among the January signings

Revisiting Chelsea’s 9 signings from January 2023 one year on

Ben Stewart •

Chelsea splashed over £250million during the last January transfer window. We thought we’d check in on how those signings have since got on, 12 months later. 

It’s no secret that Chelsea have fallen below expectations in recent years, although some of their new recruits have managed to prove their worth.

In total, Chelsea signed nine players in the 2023 January window and we’ve checked up on each of them to see how they are doing now.

Benoit Badiashile

The French defender has showcased his quality, although injuries haven’t been kind to him. Since penning a seven-and-a-half-year contract, Badiashile has missed 19 games through various injuries.

Chelsea fans probably haven’t seen the best of the 22-year-old yet, but the early signs have been fairly promising on the whole.

David Datro Fofana

After being sparingly used in the second half of last season, Chelsea sent Fofana out on loan this time around to gain some vital first-team experience.

He spent the first portion of the season on loan with Union Berlin, where he scored two goals across 17 appearances.

Chelsea recently decided to recall him from his spell in Germany and send him to Burnley for the remainder of the campaign. No doubt Mauricio Pochettino will be keeping a close eye on his development at Turf Moor.

Andrey Santos

Chelsea fans haven’t had the chance to see Santos in action yet as he’s spent the majority of his time out on loan. He spent the second half of last season with Vasco da Gama and had a spell with Nottingham Forest this time around.

After only managing two appearances for Forest in the first half of the campaign, Chelsea exercised their option to recall him in January.

“It was my choice. Unfortunately, it wasn’t how we all imagined,” Santos reflected in an interview with Brazilian outlet Globo.

“I imagined that I was going to play and so on. I was always ready, always well, but it was the coach’s choice, I respect it – I’m back at Chelsea now.”

Another loan looks likely, but GOAL report that Chelsea could lean on the talented Brazilian for extra cover in midfield following the injury sustained by Lesley Ugochukwu.

Mykhailo Mudryk

Chelsea did well to beat Arsenal to the punch with Mudryk, but the Ukrainian star hasn’t quite lived up to the hype as of yet.

He has showcased some glimpses of quality under Pochettino but is still a very raw player. Expectation levels were always going to be high given the amount of money Chelsea spent, although we are yet to see the best of him in a Chelsea shirt.

“For sure with time he’s going to be a very important player,” Pochettino told the club website. “He’s already an important player but he’s going to improve a lot because the potential is massive.”

Noni Madueke

The 21-year-old had his best run of games over the festive period. With top-draw performances against Crystal Palace and Luton, Madueke can be a game-changer when given a run of games.

He can be deadly when cutting inside from the right wing, he just needs a consistent run of starts to showcase his skills.

Malo Gusto

Given Reece James’ troublesome injury record, Gusto has managed to nail down a consistent starting spot in his absence. The 20-year-old has racked up 14 league appearances in 2023-24 and has produced three assists in that time.

Enzo Fernandez

Undoubtedly, the biggest signing Chelsea made in the 2023 January window. Following an eye-catching World Cup campaign with Argentina, Chelsea splashed over £100million on the holding midfielder.

On the whole, Fernandez has looked good, although justifying that sort of price tag was always going to be difficult. Given he is under contract until 2031, he still has plenty of time to prove his worth.

Jimmy-Jay Morgan

Chelsea managed to prize the teenage forward away from Southampton on the final day of the January window and he’s since been developing with the youth team.

The 17-year-old has chipped in with three goal contributions in the Premier League 2 and is considered as one for the future.

Joao Felix

Along with signing eight players on a permanent basis, the club also signed Felix on a short-term loan. He was entertaining to watch during his Stamford Bridge stint, albeit he didn’t really live up to the hype.

Atletico Madrid have tried their best to offload Felix and the 24-year-old is currently on loan with Barcelona, where he has scored six goals so far.

READ NEXT: Where are they now? The 12 players Chelsea signed alongside Timo Werner

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name Chelsea’s 20 most expensive transfers in history?

Mykhaylo Mudryk Enzo Fernandez Chelsea