Chelsea free to sign players as transfer ban is halved
English giants Chelsea can breathe a sigh of relief as their ongoing two-window transfer ban has been halved by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS). As a result, the club can now sign players, starting in January 2020. The club had earlier lodged an official complaint to the CAS in April this year, along with the FIFA documents, which proved to be successful.
Earlier this year, in February, Chelsea were sanctioned by the world governing body, Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). As per the deterrent, the club had breached FIFA's article 19 of its regulations, which dealt with the status and transfer of the players, including the protection of minors. They had also breached article 18, which stands for a third-party influence.
Following the two-window ban verdict, Chelsea did not have any activity during the pre-season transfer window this year. However, following the ban being halved to one, Chelsea are now free to sign players in the upcoming window, in January.
CAS have halved Chelsea’s sanctions, which means they will be able bring in new players in January. #cfc pic.twitter.com/69iaENv5ev
— Oliver Harbord (@ojharbord) December 6, 2019
Considering Chelsea's performance this season, they have been average so far. They are currently placed fourth in the Premier League standings. While they are still in contention to make it to the pre-quarters of the UEFA Champions League, they lost to Manchester United in the pre-quarters of the EFL Cup. Earlier, they had also lost the UEFA Super Cup against Liverpool.
Chelsea are now looking to target a defender in January, with Leicester City's Ben Chilwell on the list. They are also eyeing a forward with Wilfried Zaha being linked with a move. Borussia Dortmund forward Jadon Sancho is also a target. Reports claim that Chelsea are willing to break the banks for him. Meanwhile, Olivier Giroud, Pedro, and Ross Barkley could be sold.
