Chelsea's ultimately quiet January window of incomings shouldn't be confused. It came between two of the busiest and largest summers on record. It wasn't for the want of trying, either.

Much like last season, when no deals were completed to boost Mauricio Pochettino's squad despite being sandwiched by expansive total rebuilds, January 2025 will be the calm in the middle of a storm. Given what Chelsea haven't yet achieved or collated in their squad under the sporting direction of Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly - driven by Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley as well as Sam Jewell and Joe Shields - it is likely that there will be yet another lavish summer to come.

Chelsea are still in search of an elite goalkeeper, a world-class centre-back able to stay fit, true midfield depth, and any semblance of senior support up front. In at least two of these positions the club may well believe their job is partially done.

Mamadou Sarr will arrive from RC Strasbourg and is viewed as a strong defensive talent although he is highly unlikely to immediately become Chelsea's own Virgil van Dijk, efforts have been made to resolve a problem at the heart of the team, especially as Trevoh Chalobah is viewed as being a stop-gap. Another more experienced head may still be pursued, with Marc Guehi among the list of long-term targets.

In midfield they are planning the integration of Andrey Santos as more of a serious first-team addition. He will return from Strasbourg himself and is a readymade option after honing his craft an excelling in France for 12 months already. New signing Mathis Amougou may well go the opposite direction after spending the rest of the season under Enzo Maresca.

The answer to goalkeeping and striker problems are less clear. Mike Penders will be assessed as a possible No.1 of the future but he is currently 19 and has just 10 senior games under his belt. Only six of those have come in the Belgian league. Even for someone of his potential it would be a giant step up right now and a Thibaut Courtois pathway of being sent away for development is on the cards instead.

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He has been signed by Chelsea, though, and they hope he will turn out to be a wise investment for what is already a £17million outlay on a player not destined to play a game for the club for a number of years. Chelsea did confirm the deal to bring him in from Genk over the summer and later in 2025 he will officially join.

That is one down in key positions. There is no such plan upfront. Chelsea will be in the market to find competition and cover for Nicolas Jackson. That could come in the form of Liam Delap or more readily proven figures like Viktor Gyokeres and Victor Osimhen.

Jadon Sancho will almost certainly be coming in as a permanent addition to the attack. Unless Chelsea manage to drop down to below 14th in the Premier League, his transfer worth between £20-25million will be completed.

He will have new wingers for him to meet in June regardless of what other activity the club has in store. Not in the form of Alejandro Garnacho, Mathys Tel, Nico Williams, or Jamie Gittens - who are sure to emerge as targets once again - but in a much more youthful guise.

With Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian, Chelsea believe they have two of the best attackers of the coming generation. The committed outlay of over £70million - split £17million and £51million, respectively - for the pair if all add-ons are met is evidence of the confidence they have in both South American stars.

Paez, who agreed to join first and was announced in June 2023, when he was only 16, does not turn 18 until May. Chelsea confirmed that he will make the venture to Cobham later this year once his work with Ecuadorian side Independiente del Valle is complete.

Paez has been at Stamford Bridge previously and has also spent time at the Cobham training facilities, where he is highly regarded and garners a lot of attention. He has started his journey as a men's football and already has 13 goals for his boyhood side. As a versatile attacker able to play off the right-wing or behind a striker, he is perhaps the most raw of the three Chelsea will add to Maresca's squad ahead of the Club World Cup in America.

It is Estevao who is the real jewel, though. If signing Paez was an early swoop then Estevao is one of the biggest potential deals out there. Chelsea beat off competition from Europe's elite to bring him in and the efforts can be easily explained.

His 18th birthday is in April but already he has 17 senior goals and 10 assists. At the same stage, he has surpassed the output of Neymar in Brazil's top division.

Estevao is more of a winger than Paez and his trickery has caught the imagination of Palmeiras supporters. Even as a junior, the player is one of the best in the division without exception.

Chelsea were able to announce him last summer. There is hope that he could feature at the Club World Cup, although Palmeiras' participation complicates that.

So, even before the summer window is really in view, Chelsea can plan for three new players to be added for pre-season at the very least. At a total of £85million for two 17-year-olds and a 19-year-old, it is the start of what is likely to be a crucial period for a club coming under increasing pressure to bring tangible reward for such mammoth spending.