Chelsea in the January transfer window: Maurizio Sarri wants a winger despite Gonzalo Higuain rumours

Sarri is more interested in signing a winger than a striker

Unlike so many in football, Maurizio Sarri is someone who famously said the transfer market "bores" him, but the tougher reality right now is that Chelsea may have to go there to stave off a certain boredom to their football.

It is undeniable that the team are nowhere near as attuned to the Italian's highly distinctive football by now as he would like, and it sometimes feels as if it is just as a procession of slow passing before Eden Hazard does something. That is a far cry from what Sarri's Napoli were capable of.

For a few figures around the club, one solution to this is a striker that actually scores, and a swap of the struggling for Alvaro Morata for former Sarri striker Gonzalo Higuain has already been mooted. Such a player would certainly just bail Chelsea out of more games when their attacking isn't up to speed.

For his part, though, Sarri himself does not want to go down such a route. He said after the 1-0 win over Crystal Palace that he has no plans in that position, and will continue to use Eden Hazard there. He has other targets: a winger.

"We have Morata and Hazard can play very well in this position as we have seen in the last two, three matches, so I think that in the moment I don’t need another striker. Maybe another winger, because now we are in trouble with the injuries of Pedro, of [Callum] Hudson-Odoi, [Ruben] Loftus-Cheek, so I have the option and what an option for the striker, but at the moment I have no option for the wingers."

In truth, Chelsea's need for such a player goes beyond injuries. They could just do with that bit more zip, that bit more fantasy to complement Hazard. It may also, however, go beyond this window.

The club's interest in Borussia Dortmund's Christian Pulisic is well known, but they are unlikely to be able to prise him away from the Bundesliga leaders until the summer. As such, they may investigate a temporary deal in the area.