Scolari begs Chelsea to spend in January: Report

New Delhi: Big Phil has reportedly pleaded with his higher-ups at the Bridge to free some funds for the upcoming transfer window.

The Sun, that ever-reliable tabloid, reports that Chelsea manager Luiz Felipe Scolari has once again asked club owner Roman Abramovich and chief executive Peter Kenyon for January reinforcements.

Scolari has made no secret of his desire to sign a new forward, as he wants the option of using two up-top but doesn't believe Nicolas Anelka and Didier Drogba can form a productive pairing.

Furthermore, the Brazilian raised a few eyebrows recently by insisting that he needs a new playmaker - an astonishing declaration from a man who has Deco, Michael Ballack, Frank Lampard and Joe Cole at his disposal.

But Kenyon is on the record as saying that the Blues will not buy any players during the winter window, a line which is thought to correspond with Abramovich's concerns over the global financial crisis.

And that has left Big Phil fuming, especially after the West London heavyweights came close to signing Robinho - now at Manchester City - from Real Madrid in the summer.

An unnamed 'source' said: "Sometimes the best way to re-energise a team is to inject fresh blood, that’s all he asked for. Felipe was promised funds to buy before he joined. Everyone knows he wanted Robinho and what happened there.

"He knows financial situations have changed. But he is not asking for £20million, just a reasonable amount to get a new player in."

As the holiday schedule approaches, Chelsea sit one point shy of leaders Liverpool in the Premier League standings.

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