Mauricio Pochettino says he is still hoping to sign a goalkeeper and an attacking player before the transfer window closes.
Chelsea are currently without Christopher Nkunku, Armando Broja and Carney Chukwuemeka to longer term injuries while Mykhailo Mudryk will miss Friday’s clash with Luton because of a “minor” issue, according to Pochettino.
But Blues boss Pochettino says he is wary of overloading the squad with too much attacking talent and insists any signing in that area must be the “right profile”.
“We need at least one keeper,” he said.
“We have very talented keepers, young keepers, but they need time. We need one more to add.
“And then we were talking about one offensive player with the right profile to help.
“If you said to me we can add the right profile? Yes. But it’s not to bring a player because we need one more. We don’t want to stop players here or to stop the progression of some young guys who can be involved with the team.
“We have Broja, Nkunku, players that can play number nine. We’re working hard but not to take a decision only because we need someone to add.
“But this is two areas that maybe we need to add some players.
“It’s easy to say we need another offensive player but I think we have offensive players that need to recover.
“Now, if you bring a player who is maybe not fit or needs to adapt to the Premier League, maybe you are going to spend the same time that you need to wait for Broja or for Nkunku or for Carney, and then you are going to create a mess in the squad.”
Chukwuemeka went off injured against West Ham after netting his first Chelsea goal in the 3-1 loss but Pochettino is hopeful he will be out for “weeks” rather than months.
Nkunku, meanwhile, remains sidelined with the knee injury he suffered in pre-season and Broja is still recovering from the serious knee injury he suffered last December.
Striker Romelu Lukaku is still at the club but is yet to be involved with the first team under Pochettino and the Chelsea boss says the plan is still for him to move on before the window closes.
“If you wish and the club wish is to fix it or to find a solution, after it’s not me,” Pochettino said.
“It’s them that needs to talk with me, in that case, the player and the club to me and to inform to me that things change. I’m not going to move until the player or the club want to talk to me.
“I accept the situation was like this when we arrived, so we already know the situation was there, and I wasn’t able to change anything.
“It’s the club and another side. The club’s and the player’s wishes, of both, to try to find a solution. But the future can change, always in football and in life.”
