Chelsea draw with Liverpool shows what deals Thomas Tuchel needs in January transfer window

Chelsea showed little signs of being distracted by Thomas Tuchel dropping striker Romelu Lukaku by fighting their way from two goals down to draw against Liverpool.

The African duo of Sadio Mane and Mohammed Salah shot the visitors 2-0 up before Mateo Kovacic and Christian Pulisic responded for the home side.

With the build up to the game dominated dominated by talks of striker Romelu Lukaku, it was Thomas Tuchel who left Stamford Bridge the winner with his team dominating title rivals Liverpool for large parts.

He would have certainly drilled home the message of who is in charge at Stamford Bridge, and his players responded well on the day.

The German manager however has injuries and players out of form.

He has to quickly turn things around and start getting wins rapidly if he is to continue the special time he is having at the Blues.

Ben Chilwell, who was scoring goals for fun, is out for the season and his opposite right wing-back Reece James is also on the treatment table, and reported to be out until March.

Covid has meant Timo Werner hasn’t been with the team as much as he would have liked, and the latest issues surrounding Lukaku means he has to find solutions soon to keep this team afloat.

So here are some of the issues that will be top of the agenda this January transfer window.

Push for Jules Kounde

There has been little progress extending the contracts of Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, and Chelsea will be wise to continue looking at possible replacements.

Jules Kounde has been top of the Chelsea radar for a while now, and January will be the perfect time to try and test the waters with Seville.

A good young defender, who can play in the left and right side of the central defensive unit, and can pass the ball very well, suiting the style of play Tuchel admires.

Get in a full back to cover Chilwell and James

Injuries to Reece James and Ben Chilwell has left Marcos Alonso as the only fit natural full back in the Chelsea team at the moment, if you factor in the fact that captain César Azpilicueta is viewed more as a central defender.

The club is working on recalling Emerson Palmieri who had been loaned out to Lyon, and there have been links to Everton’s Lucas Digne.

Whatever they decide it will be key to get in a full back who understands the Premier League and can come in and do a job straight away.

Full backs are key to the way Tuchel plays, and it will be prudent to address the drop in numbers that injuries have caused.

Tempt Juventus’ Matthijs de Ligt

Just a couple of seasons ago, Matthijs de Ligt was the most talked about central defender in the world, but his development hasn’t been as smooth as initially anticipated at Juventus.

There are rumours that he is open to leaving Juventus having been in and out of the team under Massimiliano Allegri this season, and Chelsea should test his resolve.

He would fancy a challenge in the Premier League, and likely will cost half the price he would have a couple of seasons ago when he was leaving Ajax.

On his day he is still one of the best with the ball at his feet, and will easily make up for the uncertainty surrounding the likes of Rudiger and Christensen.

Decide on what next to do with Romelu Lukaku

Chelsea will hold another meeting with striker Romelu Lukaku on Monday to decide the way forward for reintegration into the team after he was left out against Liverpool.

He is a club record signing and genuinely one of the best strikers in the world so his situation should be decided and sorted out immediately to help everyone move on from the unfortunate situation his interview has brought.