Chelsea are open to bringing in a midfield reinforcement in January, but plan to see whether a key injury return and highly-rated academy products could provide stability, according to reports.

Chelsea have mostly faced criticism for their defence under Xabi Alonso, and deservedly so after conceding 12 goals in five Premier League games so far.

The leaky defence is not necessarily a specifically Alonso problem, either. They conceded 52 goals last season, which put them in the bottom half of the league on this metric.

However, the defensive line is not necessarily the only problem. Emiliano Martinez is averaging more saves (4.3) per game than any other goalkeeper in the Premier League this season, which indicates the team’s inability to prevent opponents from creating chances.

One possible explanation for this is the dip in Chelsea’s average possession. Chelsea rank 12th in average possession in the league at just 47.1 per cent. This is partly Alonso’s preference for a deeper defensive line, but also the team’s underwhelming midfield. 

Enzo Fernandez and Dario Essugo’s deadline-day departures, along with Moises Caicedo and Jordan Henderson’s injury absences, have forced Alonso to start the season with very limited midfield options.

Reece James and Romeo Lavia have been the primary midfield duo so far, with Valentin Barco, Malo Gusto, and Henderson, who just resumed playing after recovering from an arm injury, providing some cover.

After failing to secure a replacement for Fernandez despite his £120 million move to Manchester City, it makes sense for Chelsea to plan to spend the funds in the next available window.

According to the BBC, the club are open to signing a midfielder in January “with some degree of certainty”.

However, convincing other clubs to let go of their likely valuable midfielder mid-season is no easy task. Both Roma and Monaco are expected to try to retain Chelsea’s summer targets Manu Kone and Lamine Camara, respectively.

This would also be the case for Premier League targets such as AFC Bournemouth’s Alex Scott and Fulham’s Sander Berge.

It is, therefore, no surprise that Chelsea could reportedly decide against paying over the odds for a January signing if they could solve the midfield problem from within.

The most obvious possible solution is Moises Caicedo. He is genuinely one of the best midfield ball-winners out there, so his eventual return from injury may fill a lot of gaps in Chelsea’s defence.

Additionally, Chelsea are also paying close attention to the development of their two 16-year-old midfielders, Reggie Watson and Mahdi Nicoll-Jazuli. The academy pair have been in and around the first team since the pre-season and earned their official senior debuts under Alonso this season.

The club obviously do not expect either of them to be a regular starter yet, but they certainly have the ability to be squad players.

If Alonso could stabilise his midfield with currently available personnel, it would allow Chelsea to be in the market for a new midfielder next summer, when there would be more quality options available.