The current break from club football has given me the chance to sit down and talk about the upcoming summer transfer window, in what is sure to be another busy summer for Chelsea.
Sources over the last few weeks have really begun to put the emphasis on outgoings from the club, with Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital which is spearheaded by Behdad Egbhali, wanting to trim the squad and start raising some funds following two windows of heavy cash splurge.
We could talk all day about the potential outgoings, the likes of Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Mason Mount, Pierre Emerick Aubameyang, Conor Gallagher, and Ruben Loftus Cheek amongst many others could find themselves out the door.
The main discussion point in this article though is the incomings, how many will Chelsea make? What areas will we target? How much will we spend? Using a combination of reliable sources and the money from potential outgoings, we can start to paint a bit of a picture.
The Goalkeeper situation :
It is just a hunch, but it would not surprise me if some at the club have doubts over Kepa’s ability to be the number one next season. The Spaniard has enjoyed a better season than others and has looked a more confident version of himself but still has made several mistakes and looked hesitant from crosses at times, one of his most glaring weaknesses.
Many reliable sources have said that David Raya and Robert Sanchez are two on Chelsea’s radar, whilst someone like Diogo Costa should not be ruled out. To me, these goalkeepers and others that could potentially join like Mike Maignan are all starters, which when you add two and two together, tells me that Kepa will be back to number two or even sold alongside Edouard Mendy who does not suit Graham Potter’s style of Football and has failed to agree on a contract extension thus far.
If I had to make a prediction based on all the information I have taken in over the last few weeks from different sources, I believe David Raya will be the starting number one next season as the owners will see it as a cost-effective signing (rumoured to be around £15m) following the failed contract talks with Brentford.
As for the number two, It is likely to be either be Gabriel Slonina or Kepa.
Defence – surely not another centre-back purchase?
You never know what you are going to get with the defensive buys under Todd Boehly, on the face of it, Chelsea have more than enough options for a back three and a back four.
In a back four, the options are Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, and Kalidou Koulibaly. In a back three, you can add Reece James, Marc Cucurella and Cesar Azpilicueta into the mix.
Levi Colwill is a player that the club are understood to rate very highly and would be very stupid to sell. The 19 year old centre back has produced some outstanding performances for Brighton, particularly in the FA Cup game against Arsenal at the Emirates.
So, if you add Colwill into the mix and fairly assume Cesar Azpilicueta will depart the club, then you still have eight potential options in a back three and six in a back four.
Fabrizio Romano has told us to keep an eye on Chalobah’s situation and it would not surprise me if he was one of the players that left the club on a permanent deal considering he will likely want more game time and the fact that we have been told by the likes of Matt Law that the academy products will be the first port of call for sales in the summer window as their departures would count as pure profit on the financial books of the club.
I personally believe that Chelsea should keep Kalidou Koulibaly for one more season and avoid splurging on someone like Josko Gvardiol. Koulibaly has suffered a shaky start to his Chelsea career and despite the mistake against Everton, has looked very good overall in the centre of a back three. Potter’s decision on the formation going forward could make or break Kalidou’s future.
A part of me still thinks the club will decide to splurge on Gvardiol though, just so Manchester City or Real Madrid can’t get him. It would be an exciting but potentially needless and hurtful signing to our spending in other, more important areas of the pitch.
Midfield – the priority position :
Chelsea HAVE to make this the priority area in the summer and the area that they spend the most in. Yes, we signed Enzo Fernandez for £105m, but he needs a partner, someone more defensive, someone more robust, and someone who can allow Enzo the license to push further forward.
The obvious choice that screams in your face is Declan Rice, comfortable in a pivot, Rice has some of the best defensive stats in Europe and is also a strong ball carrier but many sources have hinted that a move to Arsenal is more likely and it does not feel like what once seemed an inevitable move to Chelsea is going to happen.
Other options could include Romeo Lavia who at just 19 years old is performing consistently for Southampton. The Belgian could be available for a cut price of around £25-30m should Southampton get relegated and he would not be the reason for their downfall if it does happen.
Joe Shields, Chelsea’s recently appointed director, has ties to Lavia having been instrumental in bringing him to the St Marys stadium from Manchester City.
Moises Caicedo is a player that I am a big fan of and considering the fact that Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital will want to show their backing and support for Potter before the new season, this player seems the most likely purchase in the summer window. Furthermore, Chelsea were in the race with Arsenal for Caicedo in January and a £55m bid was turned down, according to David Ornstein.
Chelsea turned their attention to Enzo Fernandez but that does not mean that they will not re-visit this deal in the summer when there is more time and potentially more willingness from Brighton to negotiate.
The main question on Caicedo is if he is more of a box-to-box, considering how good he is when he plays with more license. That question will undoubtedly be debated and already could have been debated and decided upon between the hierarchy, the owners and of course Graham Potter who knows him very well.
Kouadio Kone is someone that has been linked to the Blues. Available for around £35-45m and a big fan of Chelsea, the 21 year old Frenchman could be a nice pickup for Chelsea. Kone has played in a double pivot and is an excellent dribbler out of tight spaces. Christopher Vivell is understood to be a big fan, as we reported on here several weeks ago.
Who else could play in Graham Potter’s double pivot? Ugarte from Sporting springs to mind, he produced an amazing display against Arsenal in the Europa League second-leg tie despite the late red card.
The Uruguayan features regularly in Ruben Amorim’s favoured 3-4-3 formation which is what Graham Potter has used over the last few weeks and this is a player that Chelsea should be following closely.
I would also like to mention Alexis Mac Allister who may be a wildcard in all of this. Personally, even though he has played as a number six under Graham Potter, Chelsea need to be looking at a more physical profile, a la Nemanja Matic, to complement Enzo the best.
The attack – Todd Boehly to solve Chelsea’s striker woes?
In my opinion, the attacking purchase/purchases will be the most fascinating part of this summer. There is no evidence to suggest so far that Todd Boehly and the recruitment team which includes co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart will not sanction a mega-money move for Victor Osimhen or Goncalo Ramos, or even Harry Kane, however hard those negotiations would be.
Osimhen is on fire this season with over twenty goals in all competitions and is combining hold up play with devastating pace and finishing. The Napoli man has also made it well known that his idol is Didier Drogba and Chelsea were interested in signing him when he was at Lille.
If you add this all up, Osimhen seems like the answer to Chelsea’s problems. He has the heading ability, the pace, the finishing, the hold up play, age on his side and motivation to succeed at Chelsea and emulate his idol. Although it must be said that whilst they are not the same person, all of those attributes applied to Romelu Lukaku when he returned to Chelsea in a £97.5m move and he also came to the club on the back of one of his best seasons in his career at Inter Milan in the Serie A, so there will be some people worried if Osimhen does sign, based on the similarities in the situations.
Chelsea’s main focus in the early days of the window will be trying to get rid of Romelu Lukaku, whether that be on a permanent sale or another loan to Inter Milan. Then, it is likely that Pierre Emerick Aubameyang will also leave and once those outgoings are sorted, they must plan for Christopher Nkunku’s position if they haven’t already.
Joao Felix’s permanent transfer is likely to be discussed, according to top sources. The man from Atletico Madrid has given me some excitement in the attack that I have not seen since Eden Hazard. The flair, the touches and the combination play that he is already developing with Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling make me excited, and I am sure that he is only going to explode further the longer he stays.
A way that Chelsea could save finances in this window would be to negotiate another 12 month loan, but this time agreeing upon an obligation purchase cause for summer 2024.
Other than hopefully retaining Felix’s services and looking for an out and out number nine, a number ten could be looked at to replace Mason Mount should he continue to stall on a new deal, though I do think we have enough in this area especially if Kai Havertz stays on for another season which some might argue should not happen given his inconsistency in league performances since signing in 2020.
Finally, I would not rule out Chelsea signing another winger. Yes, we signed Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk in January but with Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Callum Hudson Odoi all likely to leave on permanent deals, Chelsea would only have those two previously mentioned plus Raheem Sterling as natural wingers.
If, and it is a big if, Graham Potter sticks with a three at the back, then Felix, Havertz and Nkunku all come into the conversation as wide forwards but if not, Chelsea would lack pure wingers if again, those mentioned are sold.
As of now, there have been no real first team links for wingers, though the club did look at Marcus Thuram in January who plays on the left and as a striker.
Chelsea are also understood to have scouted Villareal winger Yeremy Pino in the last several months, as per Fabrizio Romano.
To finish off this article, down below are some potential lineups for next season for you to view based on everything discussed in the article and by using information from credible sources :
