Luiz Felipe Scolari has asked the Chelsea board for the funds to buy a forward next month in the belief that a new striker is essential to keep the club’s push for trophies on track, even though he has been told that costs are being cut because of the economic downturn.

Formerly the gluttons of world football as they bought up the finest produce at almost any cost, the business of adding to Chelsea squad’s now feels more like a guilty pleasure akin to taking an extra chocolate from the box. I shouldn’t, I’m on a diet — oh, go on then, just one more.

Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, said this week that there would be “little or no activity” in January but Scolari, the manager, is confident that the board will accede to his request and said that he “had some names” in mind. “I know that it’s a different time now for Chelsea. But, if I have more injuries, they understand I’ll need one or two players to replace some players. They understand this,” he said. “But if things are normal and the players are in good condition — no more injuries — I think it’s a maximum one player they’ll replace because we need only one more player.”

After being allocated about £25 million last August to sign Robinho, only for Manchester City to gazump Chelsea, Scolari could argue that he deserves the chance to invest a portion of that sum elsewhere, despite the new restrictions. He could also delve into the loan market or raise funds by selling someone.

Scolari said that the scale of the club’s injury problems had forced him to appeal to the generosity of Roman Abramovich, the owner, after initially being content with his resources when he joined the club last summer. “At that time, I didn’t want more players than I had,” he said. “But I never thought about getting injuries every week. Two or three. Now, because I have many injuries, I say to the board that I maybe need one player.”

With Didier Drogba suspended for this afternoon’s game against Bolton Wanderers, Scolari is conscious that the team are heavily reliant on Nicolas Anelka, who, with 14 goals this term, has certainly delivered so far.

“For the game against Arsenal, I lost two strikers in [Franco] Di Santo and Didier [Drogba], and I had only Anelka,” Scolari said. “For this game I have only Anelka, too. If I had one player more in very good condition, I’ll have more options for change sometimes.”

The manager wants to add to his squad because he is reluctant to risk placing too heavy a burden on the club’s youngsters, such as Di Santo, and also because poor results at Stamford Bridge have demonstrated the need for the side to show greater tactical versatility in order to break down obdurate opponents.

Chelsea will set a top-flight record today if they secure an away win for the eleventh time in succession, a run stretching back to last season. But after last Sunday’s defeat by Arsenal, Scolari is more preoccupied with the contrasting home form, which has brought the club only three wins from eight games this term.

“I don’t think about the record,” he said. “I think only about the three points we lost at home. We need to recover those three points. We don’t play away any differently to how we play at home. We’ve discussed this with the players, about how many points we lose at home, and it’s not good.” Other recoveries were also uppermost in the Brazilian’s thoughts yesterday. Ricardo Carvalho’s knee injury will probably keep him out until Boxing Day, but Michael Essien is progressing well after knee surgery, although Scolari declined to set a timeframe for the midfield player’s return, which is eagerly awaited.

“I lost one player, the most important, who can play in five positions: Michael Essien,” he said. “If I lost one goalkeeper, or one central defender — I have four of them. One right back or left back — I have four. But one player who plays in five positions very well? I lost five players when I lost Essien.”