Out came owner Roman Abramovich's chequebook, and with supporters of the London club still ruminating over the manner in which City had demolished last season's convincing Premier League title winners, in came £21.7 million left-back Baba Rahman from Augsburg and £21.1 million midfielder Pedro from Barcelona.
With a week to go before the window closes, having been fobbed off with an apparent "not for sale" sign by irate Everton manager Roberto Martinez regarding the Toffees highly rated centre-back John Stones, it's has been reported by ESPN FC that the 21-year-old has submitted a formal request to seal a £40 million switch to SW6.
How much is too much, though?
The reported price tag is a phenomenal amount of money to spend on a young defender, a British record in fact. Is Stones worth such an astronomical sum? Or is there better value to be found elsewhere? Why not find another Kurt Zouma? £12.5m for the now-20-year-old France international looks like a steal by comparison.
Zouma's countryman, 22-year-old Real Madrid centre-back Raphael Varane, has long been coveted by Mourinho. Would new Real manager Rafa Benitez sanction the transfer of any player now under his wing to the club whose supporters and gaffer irk him so? Time and a substantial bid not far off the money that Stones would cost Chelsea will tell.
Much has been made of the Blues' defensive woes this season, with the back four and skipper John Terry and Branislav Ivanovic in particular coming in for severe criticism in many quarters. Some of it is justified, but a part of the problem lies just in front of the back line where Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas appear to have lost the ability to boss midfield and shield the men behind them. Fabregas has left Matic to do the donkey work and seems more suited to an advanced role where he can interplay creatively with Eden Hazard and Pedro.
Which makes the prospect of potentially bringing in Paul Pogba so enticing.
If Chelsea are going to break the bank before the end of the transfer window, it should be for a player who could make an immediate impact in the team in the way Pedro did against West Brom in a 3-2 win. Someone who can address the shortcomings in the Blues' midfield engine room. That man is Pogba.
A £72m transfer fee is the figure being touted for the dynamic 22-year-old France international, who has enjoyed success in Serie A with back-to-back title winners Juventus, where he has just been handed the coveted No. 10 shirt. Having just struck a deal to loan Blues flop Juan Cuadrado to the Italian giants, there may be more bargaining to be done at the negotiating table between Chelsea and Juve.
It's not without reason that Pogba is nicknamed "The Pickaxe" by his France teammates given his physical presence, inexhaustible energy and combative style of play. This in itself would be an immediate benefit to Chelsea given the comparative lightweight physique of Fabregas, who was bypassed too easily during the Man City game.
But there's much more to Pogba than brute force.
Factor in a blistering right foot, silky skills, pinpoint passing and an ability to read the game beyond his youthful years and it's easy to see why Mourinho covets Pogba -- and then there are the goals, 20 of them in 90 Serie A games for Juve. Adding a complete footballer could turn out to be money well spent where Chelsea are concerned
Unlike Stones, Pogba would immediately be a significant upgrade for the Blues. And defensively, Chelsea may not be as in as bad a position as it appears.
While manager Jose Mourinho deemed that 21-year-old Ghana international Rahman was not yet ready to make his debut for his new club, there are signs that his signing has already galvanised the Blues back line.
At the back, Cesar Azpilicueta, who has been playing out of position on the left flank for much of his Chelsea career, excelled with a tigerish performance and a goal to boot against West Brom. Maybe the arrival of Rahman spurred the Spaniard to pull out the stops.
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