Chelsea chief executive Peter Kenyon is not expecting to make any major new signings during the January transfer window.

Talking at a press conference celebrating the four-year extension of our sponsorship deal with Thomas Cook, Kenyon spoke about his objectives for the new year and long-term aims for the Blues.

'Traditionally, we have never done a lot in January, and this January is no exception,' explained Kenyon.

'We have not finalised whether we will do anything or not, but it is all about what we want to do and whether those players available?

'Short term fixes won't really work for a club like Chelsea, so I think we'll see little or no activity, because the players we would want to bring into Chelsea for the long term probably aren't available. But it is only first December.

'He [Scolari] wants to work with 24-25 players and that's the squad we've got.

'We all have to recognise that six of the regular starters are not available, through injuries. We still have those players to come back.

'So I think from January onwards we will see a slightly strengthened Chelsea from within.'

Rather than signing new players, Chelsea's aim is to produce the next generation of footballers through our own Academy, with developments on that front as Miroslav Stoch made his first team debut against Arsenal yesterday.

'The Academy is and continues to be at the heart of our future development of Chelsea players,' continued Kenyon.

'We saw Stoch last night, and [Michael] Mancienne is out at Wolves as part of his development and our youth team played against Manchester United last week, and there were nine British boys in that group.

'This is about taking young boys and progressing them into the first team, in any club, that is a major achievement, at Chelsea you have to be that much bigger and that much better, so it is a long-term project.'

So with the current financial status resulting in companies tightening their belts globally, today's announcement is a refreshing break to the current national news agenda.

'There is so much doom-and-gloom around that not many people are expecting partnership/sponsorship deals to be done and we are delighted that we are able to announce that this morning,' said Kenyon.

'Clearly you are going to see us working closely with a few brands in exclusive categories and Thomas Cook, in travel, represents everything we are after.

'They are a top brand, clearly leading in their field, and they are international, which is exactly where we are.

'So for all sorts of reasons, on every level, we think this is a very good deal for both parties, and we are delighted to announce it now because it does buck the trend a little bit.'

Thomas Cook chief executive Manny Fontenla-Novoa has been a Chelsea fan since coming to England at the age of 11, and, after following the Blues through thick-and-thin, understands the importance of being associated with the club.

'Thomas Cook is a global brand. We have businesses in 23 different countries, ranging from northern Europe all the way down to India, where we have the biggest travel company in India.

'The Premier League is well watched, well loved and talked about and for us to be associated with a leading brand like Chelsea, it just helps us to meet our business objectives, so it is a fantastic association.

'But at the heart of this particular deal is providing travel for Chelsea fans in the UK and overseas to watch Chelsea play wherever.

'That is whether they are playing away in the Premier League, where we provide Match Break tickets and of course Champions League and hopefully all the way to Rome next year,' added Fontenla-Novoa.

Thomas Cook Match Breaks start from as little as £133 per person, and will surely prove to be the perfect Christmas present for all lovers of Chelsea.

Plus, any fan who books a Chelsea Match Break before the 31 December will receive a 10 per cent off discount voucher for any further Match break booking.

For latest availability and to book click here or phone 0870 752 0924.