Ally McCoist has named the one player who Chelsea must attempt to sign in January and feels he would ‘walk into the team’ at Stamford Bridge.
Graham Potter lost his first match in charge on Saturday as the Blues lost 4-1 at Brighton – following a nine-game unbeaten run – and returned to winning ways with a 2-1 victory over Dinamo Zagreb in the Champions League on Wednesday.
The west London club have topped Group E to qualify for the knockout stages while in the Premier League they are sixth after their opening 12 fixtures.
There has been huge change at Chelsea this season with American Todd Boehly running the club after he took over from previous owner Roman Abramovich.
Boehly let go many of the people who had been working under Abramovich – including Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech – and recently appointed Joe Shields as the club’s new ‘Co-Director of Recruitment and Talent’.
Following a massive summer transfer window in which Chelsea spent £272m on new players and saw several key figures depart, Boehly also changed head coaches in September with Thomas Tuchel replaced by Englishman Potter.
Many are now predicting Chelsea to once again spend big when the transfer window reopens in January as Potter looks to put his stamp on the team.
One player they have been linked with is Crystal Palace star Wilfried Zaha, who has also attracted interest from Arsenal.
Palace are growingly increasingly concerned that Zaha will not sign a new deal with the club and his current contract is due to expire at the end of the season.
McCoist feels Zaha would be perfect for the Blues, telling talkSPORT: ‘On current form he is walking into the Chelsea team.’
He added: ‘What I would tell him is, ‘Go and follow your heart Wilfried’ – because the one thing he has earned is the respect of all the Palace fans, the respect of football fans up and down the country.
‘I think Wilfried Zaha has absolutely earned his stripes. He does not owe anybody anything and he owes himself the opportunity to go and make the right decision, whatever he wants to do.
‘If that is to stay at Palace, me, I’d be the same as the Palace fans, I’d be absolutely delighted.
‘I think in this day and age there is just something refreshing to see a guy play the vast majority of his career at one club and have an affinity with the support.
‘There’s just something beautiful and refreshing about it. If that was the case I would be thrilled, and I bet [Patrick] Vieira and the Palace fans would be thrilled.
‘However, if he decides, ‘I fancy a couple of years abroad’ – good on him. He has earned that opportunity.’
MORE : Arsenal and Chelsea handed huge Wilfried Zaha transfer boost
MORE : Patrick Vieira gives update on Wilfried Zaha’s future amid Arsenal and Chelsea links
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