Mourinho to raid Chelsea amid shocking injury crisis
Tom Weber
- Updated: 20 Oct 2023 06:18 BST
- 4 min read
Jose Mourinho could look to his former stomping ground to reinforce his AS Roma side, according to Italian media.
The legendary coach has not had an easy go of it in Serie A this season. While Roma made some high-profile moves in the summer that hinted at a potential title challenge, major injuries and poor results have seen them struggle to kick off the campaign, with Mourinho under pressure.
The capital club languish in 10th in the standings and if their form does not pick up anytime soon, Mourinho could lose his job even before his contract expires at the end of the season, with Antonio Conte primed to take over in the summer and the 'Special One' potentially on his way back to England.
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However, that has not yet materialised, obviously, and Mourinho could dip into the January market to bolster his side, particularly in defence.
Mourinho wants Chalobah
Centre-back Marash Kumbulla tore his ACL in the spring - one of two Roma players currently out with an ACL injury alongside Tammy Abraham - and isn't expected to be back until January at the earliest.
Fellow defenders Chris Smalling and Diego Llorente, too, are not fit at the moment. Roma had hoped that the two would return to the squad over the international break, but things have not panned out that way and Bryan Cristante - originally a midfielder - is expected to once again be forced to deputise at the back.
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Gazzetta dello Sport reports that a final decision on who to target in January has not yet been made, but Roma are seriously considering Chelsea's Trevoh Chalobah and Tottenham's Eric Dier, who can both play in defence and midfield, as potential winter reinforcements.
Chalobah may be expensive but certainly attainable because the player has widely been reported to be "very likely" to leave in January after a move to Bayern fell through late in the summer window.
