Chelsea will be able to sign players in the January transfer window after their appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) was successful.

FIFA had initially banned the Blues from making signings in two transfer windows, but CAS have opted to halve the ban after looking into the evidence.

They ruled in Chelsea’s favour on two key points. Firstly, although the London club did violate regulations on the transfer and registration of young players, they found they were only guilty on a third of the cases cited by FIFA.

Secondly, the violations of other RSTP (Regulations on the Status and Transfer of Players) were deemed to be less serious than what FIFA decided. It means they have also had their fine reduced from 600,000 to 300,000 Swiss francs.

It will be a massive boost to manager Frank Lampard who will now be able to strengthen his team for the second half of the season as Chelsea look to secure a top-four finish.