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Xabi Alonso has made a reasonable start to his time in charge of Chelsea, but there is definitely some room for improvement. The west Londoners currently sit fifth in the Premier League table with five wins and four defeats from their opening 10 games. When they are firing on all cylinders, the Blues can mix it with any team in the division, but their lack of consistency has been slightly worrying.
Chelsea have struggled to put together a decent run since Alonso was appointed at the start of the season, leaving them lower in the table than they would ideally like to be.
However, they are only five points adrift of second-placed Brighton and could boost their chances of climbing up the standings with a productive January window.
Express Sport looks at how Alonso could set up his Chelsea squad to make a splash in the second half of the campaign...
Scott arrives in £160m double deal
Chelsea won't be short of money to throw around in January, with the bulk of their budget potentially going towards a move for Bournemouth midfielder Alex Scott.
He is a star in the making and would immediately improve things in the middle of the park. While the 23-year-old is reportedly valued at around £100million, he is the sort of player who could be worth every penny.
Chelsea are thought to remain strongly interested in Scott despite failing to sign him in the summer. They could return to the table in January, but it remains to be seen if Bournemouth would be willing to do business in the middle of the season.
Ideally, another midfielder would also arrive at Stamford Bridge to help protect the back four that has already conceded 16 goals this season.
Martin Zubimendi could be the perfect solution, with Arsenal said to be open to selling the Spaniard for around £60m in January.
He rarely stands out during matches but is good at keeping things tight in the engine room, which is exactly what Chelsea need to solidify at the back.
Three players axed
Chelsea could also benefit from selling a few players in January, which would trim their bloated squad while also raising even more money to spend on new arrivals.
Malo Gusto seems likely to depart Stamford Bridge in the near future, with Liverpool reportedly eager to sign him. They are reportedly looking for a new right-back to provide competition for Ronald Araujo, who is naturally a centre-back.
Gusto hasn't been getting many minutes at Chelsea this season and if Liverpool are willing to pay his reported £75m asking price, it would be a deal to suit all parties.
Romeo Lavia, meanwhile, has played the full 90 minutes in each of Chelsea's last two Premier League games, but is yet to fully establish himself as a regular in the side.
He could benefit from playing on a weekly basis elsewhere, with Aston Villa thought to be eyeing him as a possible replacement for the injured Amadou Onana. That is another move that could please everybody, whether a loan or a permanent deal.
Chelsea could also expedite the process of selling Robert Sanchez, who is currently on loan at Italian side Como.
He has already been replaced by Emiliano Martinez and if Como can be convinced to sign him on a permanent basis in January, it would get his salary off the books and potentially boost Chelsea's transfer budget.
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