Chelsea's back-line is in a serious state of flux after injuries to Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile left Enzo Maresca scrambling to repair his team. In the middle of a poor winter run of results, the January window has thrown up some potential solutions.

Not only has youngster Josh Acheampong been reintegrated into the club and officially promoted to a first-team player after his lengthy contract stand-off essentially wiped out the opening three months of his season, further issues for Axel Disasi have caused Maresca a selection headache. Against Crystal Palace on Saturday, he switched things around to return Malo Gusto into the XI.

Acheampong replaced Disasi, while summer signing Tosin Adarabioyo was also left to the bench. Reece James' fitness concerns have also left Chelsea light at right-back - which exposed Disasi's lack of pace throughout late-December.

The injury to Fofana, who had to be helped off during the 3-0 win over Aston Villa last month, has had the biggest negative effect. He is the quickest of Chelsea's defenders and nobody in the current squad can match his crucial recovery pace. Fofana has also built up a firm relationship with Levi Colwill that isn't yet replicable to other pairings.

Colwill, himself, has had to shift away from the centre of Chelsea's in-possession shape, reducing his impact from incisive passes. All of this, plus the absence of Badiashile - who became Maresca's go-to defensive cover - has left things up in the air for a window that Chelsea planned to do very little in.

The bombshell moment, Maresca dropping in that Fofana might miss the next four months or more, has turned things upside down. There is added confusion, as well, as it appears that Fofana himself doesn't see the absence being longer than six weeks. That still hands Maresca a gap to fill and a balance to strike.

That is where Trevoh Chalobah comes in. He is currently on loan at Crystal Palace, where he completed a deadline move to after being exiled from the squad over the summer, but is now being considered for a surprise mid-season recall, football.london understands.

No final decision on whether the 25-year-old will return has been made, but he is also one of a number of options being discussed. He was unavailable to play against Chelsea at Selhurst Park on Saturday - but has worked his way into Oliver Glasner's defence after missing the start of his loan injured.

Chalobah has a similar positional profile to both Disasi and Acheampong as a right-back / right-sided centre-back. He is also quicker than Disasi and, if Chelsea do look to find a replacement centre-back this month, would not cost the money that a brand-new signing brings.

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Spending in order to bolster up the defence is not out of the equation, either. Chelsea have already brought back Aaron Anselmino from Boca Juniors. He is not necessarily backed to have a big role to play between now and the end of the campaign, with the recall seen as a chance for him to acclimatise and get used to the surroundings. He could, it has not been ruled out, go out on another loan himself.

In the senior spots, a January addition could be made, and Chelsea have historic interest - plus current admiration - for both Ousmane Diomande and former player Marc Guehi. The latter, in particular is a player in-demand.

Newcastle looked set to splash out almost £70million on his services last summer in what would have formed an almost full Cobham back-line themselves. Chelsea had been linked - at arm's length - with him once again. Arsenal, Tottenham, Liverpool, and Manchester United are also clubs to have tracked the player previously.

The point to note, now, is that Chelsea possess a significant sell-on clause in his contract, as well as the ability to match any bid made for him. Had Guehi, now Palace captain after his Stamford Bridge exit for £20million - back in 2021 - been sold for the reported price, it would have seen Chelsea recoup almost £15million.

He is also due to be out of contract in 18 months, with an extension not thought to be likely, either. It weakens Palace's position with each passing window. Chelsea, could, theoretically, attempt to claim a discount on Guehi too, knowing that they would take 20 per cent of Palace's proceeds if he went elsewhere.

This is conjecture, at this stage, though. Chelsea do certainly have options, with Guehi being one of them. Fofana's recovery could be central to many of the calls set to be made in the following weeks, but it is now a revolving door at the back.