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By KIERAN GILL Published: 04: 00 AEDT, 5 February 2025 | Updated: 05: 36 AEDT, 5 February 2025 4 View comments The Chelsea press room was swimming in fortune cookies in a nod to the Chinese New Year and it was while West Ham were leading 1-0 that a colleague from The Times elbowed me to share the message written inside the one he had cracked open. ‘Failure is the beginning of great success, ’ went the wisdom. It was much better than mine, something about Thursday being a good day, which cannot be true when you have the dentist. But his? That felt fitting, particularly on Monday night at Stamford Bridge. Not only for how Chelsea came back to win after Jarrod Bowen jumped on Levi Colwill’s error to leave them trailing, but for the belief held by Blues bosses that their policy of targeting the world’s most promising young talents will eventually prosper. Enzo Maresca is the latest manager to remind us it will require patience from the fanbase and that included a January window in which their strategy was scrutinised yet again. Deadline day provided further proof of Chelsea’s unwavering trust towards their alternative approach as, while Manchester City took their spending to more than all of the Premier League’s 19 other clubs combined in addressing their problems, Chelsea did not splash the cash. Enzo Maresca celebrated a comeback win on Monday, but got no new players on deadline day Christopher Nkunku (left) stayed but Joao Felix is off to Milan, six months after joining Chelsea Not on a striker to compete with Nicolas Jackson, whose last goal was on December 15. Not on a left winger as cover for Mykhailo Mudryk, who remains suspended from football after failing a drugs test. Not on a goalkeeper after Maresca finally lost patience with Robert Sanchez and turned to his 22-year-old understudy Filip Jorgensen for the visit of West Ham. Instead, Chelsea recalled Trevoh Chalobah from his Crystal Palace loan and then made a single signing, bringing in 19-year-old midfielder Mathis Amougou from Saint-Etienne for £12. 5million, the traffic to his Wikipedia page presumably spiking after his name went public. Amougou is one for the future, not now. Word is he will train at Cobham over the coming months and then move on loan to their sister club Strasbourg in France this summer, with Andrey Santos, 20, earmarked to head the other way by joining Chelsea’s senior squad. Strasbourg, managed by Liam Rosenior and owned by Blue Co, have averaged the youngest line-up out of every club in Europe’s elite leagues this season at 21 years and 283 days. Chelsea are the second-youngest at 23 years and 309 days. Monaco, Valencia, Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain follow thereafter. Parma are then number seven on the list and Chelsea were understood to have a senior scout at their recent 3-2 loss to AC Milan at the San Siro. The search for the next starlet never stops, but supporters live in the here and now and crave something to celebrate. French defender Axel Disasi has joined Aston Villa on loan after interest from Tottenham Another member of the club's defensive ranks, Ben Chilwell also departed Chelsea on loan this month, joining Crystal Palace If Chelsea can go on to finish in the Premier League’s top four and win the Conference League, this can only be categorised as a successful campaign. If that does not happen, however, January may be looked upon as a missed opportunity, particularly by fans who feel more talent was allowed to leave than which was brought in. Co-owner Behdad Eghbali, co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart and co-director of recruitment and talent Joe Shields all walked down the tunnel at full-time of Monday’s win over West Ham, making one of their post-match visits to the dressing room. There, they will have seen the odd vacant space after a deadline day dominated by outgoings, with Axel Disasi allowed to join fellow Champions League chasers Aston Villa and Joao Felix moving to AC Milan, both on loan until the summer. Felix is a strange one, signed from Atletico Madrid for £46. 3m only six months ago in a move which coincided with Conor Gallagher moving in the opposite direction for £36m. Felix agreed a seven-year contract and talked of his love for the club at the time. Now, Milan will cover his full wages and pay a £4. 5m fee for him, though it is understood no option to buy was included. Maresca never gave the sense that he truly trusted the 25-year-old Portuguese, who was often an 80-something minute substitution in Premier League matches. The main concern is that Cole Palmer has lost someone who could have helped him with his workload in the No 10 position. First-team stalwart Cole Palmer will now be required to help in the Europa Conference League Brazilian wonderkid Estevao Willian is one of four players already joining Chelsea this summer Chelsea laid the groundwork for more summer arrivals with talks for Alejandro Garnacho  Previously, Palmer was able to take in their Europa Conference League fixtures from the sidelines. Now, it is expected he will be needed in that European competition. Maresca was fair, telling those unhappy that he would consider letting them leave if they approached him, as was the case with Renato Veiga, now on loan at Juventus, and Cesare Casadei, who joined Torino permanently for £12. 5m. Christopher Nkunku stayed, at least, Chelsea scaring off Bayern Munich and Manchester United by saying they valued him at £65m. They will bring in new additions this summer, such as Palmeiras’ 17-year-old wonderkid Estevao Willian, Genk’s 19-year-old goalkeeper Mike Penders, Strasbourg’s 19-year-old defender Mamadou Sarr and Independiente del Valle’s 17-year-old attacker Kendry Paez. The club have also laid the groundwork for other potential buys via conversations held in the January window, including Manchester United’s Alejandro Garnacho and Borussia Dortmund’s Jamie Gittens. Before then, though, they will have work to do with what they have and Chelsea’s final four Premier League games carry the look of a defining run-in. They have Liverpool at home, Newcastle away, Manchester United at home and, last but not least, Nottingham Forest away. We will soon see whether fortune favours the brave. If it does, Chelsea might be tempted to convert ‘failure is the beginning of great success’ into Latin and wrap it around their club badge. 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