Top publication claims Chelsea are unlikely to make key decision this month, with fans set to be disappointed | OneFootball

Chelsea are unlikely to recall Lesley Ugochukwu from his loan at Southampton despite injuries in midfield according to The Athletic.

The January window is in full swing with around two weeks remaining, but for the Blues it’s been a quiet month so far, although they have agreed a deal to sign Mamadou Sarr from Strasbourg, with the 19-year-old set to arrive in the summer.

Trevoh Chalobah has also been recalled, although as of yet no players have departed and the Chelsea still haven’t signed a striker, with an alternative to Nicolas Jackson desperately needed.

Chelsea unlikely to recall Lesley Ugochukwu

The Blues returned to winning ways on Monday night against Wolves, but were without Romeo Lavia and Enzo Fernandez due to injury, with the pair potentially a few weeks away from a return according to Maresca.

That meant a first Premier League start for Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and given the current situation Chelsea seriously lack depth in midfield.

Ugochukwu has impressed for Southampton in recent weeks. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

The Blues currently have Andrey Santos shining on loan at Strasbourg, whilst Ugochukwu has impressed at Southampton since Ivan Juric replaced Russell Martin.

However, the Blues have so far been unwilling to recall either with Maresca also stating he didn’t think it was necessary.

The Athletic have reported Ugochukwu is unlikely to be recalled now that he’s playing more regularly at Southampton.

It feels like Chelsea are taking an unnecessary gamble by not recalling Ugochukwu and he would help ease the current issues in midfield, whilst the only fit midfielders are currently Dewsbury-Hall and Caicedo.

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Whilst playing on a regular basis at Southampton is going to help Ugochukwu’s development it doesn’t make sense to not make use of him at Chelsea, and given Lavia’s injury issues he would likely play a significant amount of minutes.

Ultimately, it’s a decision which could backfire but there’s still time in the window to rectify it and give Enzo Maresca an extra body in a key area of the pitch.