London (AFP)

It's already Christmas for Chelsea: its ban on recruiting was shortened on Friday by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS), allowing the English club to be active as of the transfer window winter of January. In the direction of arrivals ... but especially departures.

Authors of a good start to the season (4th), the Blues should not spend without counting, except opportunity in gold. For the discontented, like the French striker Olivier Giroud, it is however a way out that opens.

"Chelsea is banned from registering new players (...) during a recruitment window, which the club has already served" this summer, the CAS wrote in a statement.

"Chelsea is free to engage players during the transfer window," welcomed the club in the evening to which the FIFA Appeal Committee had banned early May any recruitment until January 31, 2020.

The CAS also reduced from 600,000 to 300,000 Swiss francs (273,000 euros) the fine of the London club, which was accused of failing to comply with the regulations on international transfers of 27 minors.

While expressing his "gratitude" to the CAS for his "diligence", Chelsea also said that "if Fifa continues to impose incoherent and unfair sanctions on clubs, it will undermine the very mission of this regulation," the protection of minors.

Other European giants like FC Barcelona, ​​Real Madrid or Atlético Madrid have been sanctioned in recent years.

- End of recess for "Baby Blues"? -

An important legal victory, but ultimately not vital for Londoners brought by their talented youth formed at the club (Tomori, Mount, Abraham, Hudson-Odoi).

If the press evokes a transfer budget of 150 million pounds (177 M EUR), Frank Lampard has always had a measured speech on the subject and will certainly not want to whistle the end of the break for the "Baby Blues" in replacing them with confirmed players.

The hottest file, the replacement of Eden Hazard, who left for Real in June, had been partially anticipated with the recruitment of Christian Pulisic last winter.

The most sensitive cases seem to be in the direction of sales, the perspective of the Euro-2020 this summer initially prompting the Frenchman Olivier Giroud, barred in attack, even the English international midfielder Ross Barkley, who struggles to be a square.

It will first find a base. But their departure is no longer taboo, since replacing them is possible.

Lampard could also be tempted to strengthen his defense, which is only the 8th in the Premier League to the number of goals conceded (21).

- Opportunistic rather than consumerist -

The expected return of the German Antonio Rüdiger in the axis is that the attention is focused on the left. Even so, the name of central defender Nathan Aké, former club Chelsea could bring back from Bournemouth for GBP 40 million (EUR 47 million), comes back sometimes.

The English international Ben Chilwell is at the top of the wish list, but under contract with Leicester, currently second, it is a record that will probably wait until summer.

In a winter market rarely conducive to very good deals, Chelsea could be opportunistic, more than consumerist.

"People talk about speed, determination, athletic quality, working without a ball, that's the type of players I want, I've had plenty of players here, but if we have an opportunity, obviously we want to improve. ", commented Lampard.

The Londoners also keep an eye on the nugget Jadon Sancho (19), whose relationship with Dortmund is deteriorating day by day and childhood friend of Tammy Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi.

The Ivorian striker Crystal Palace, Wilfried Zaha, 27, is also on their shelves but it should put 80 million pounds (95 million EUR), on a player without major references ... Not sure that Chelsea back on the market to make such follies.

© 2019 AFP