With the transfer window well and truly open and the Confederations Cup coming to an end, it is time to begin to look at what clubs will be doing over their respective pre-seasons. Here is how Chelsea need to set themselves up in order to hit the ground running for the new season.
Goalkeeping:
With Goalkeepers, it is a fairly cut and dry scenario. We need another. With Petr Cech our only registered keeper, Thibaut Courtois set to have a third loan spell at Athletico Madrid and Hilario and Turnbull both parting ways, we have no back up.
We have youth player Jamal Blackman and he deserves to be pushed up into the first team set-up, but only as a third choice. He is not ready to be a called up to a Champions League game if Cech is injured, but I do agree that some early rounds of the Cup this season would help his education in the role. After all, he is still very young.
In terms of back up, you need someone with experience. Someone who is willing to play second fiddle to Cech for most of the season, but can still do a job when called upon. That is what made Hilario and Turnbull so great, they where always there when needed. I would have offered Turnbull another extension. I would have allowed him to continue his role, as he seemed more than happy to do so.
In terms of who we should bring in, it is difficult to say. It is hard to find someone who is willing to come in and not play regularly, so it means that Chelsea will need to be wise in who they choose. Of course, many would say Diego Lopez after how well he played for Real Madrid (The Standard link him to the Blues) and Mourinho does have good links with him, although I am not too sure if Real would let him go. I don’t expect the papers to talk a lot about it. It will be a small purchase, under the radar, as they look to add a player into their goalkeeping team.
Defending:
In terms of defenders, Chelsea have a very good crop of players and do not need to buy too many reinforcements. In fact, I would go as far to say they don’t need to buy any. With Van Aanholt, Kalas and Bruma all out on loan as well as having Nathan Ake and Andreas Christensen in our youth team, there is more than enough talent there.
In all of Ake’s performances so far, he has more than shown he is capable of stepping up into the league. Christensen is a little further away and should play a similar role to what Ake has done this season – training with the first team and a few minor appearances. With Kalas, Van Aanholt and Bruma, you have a right back, left-back and centre-back sitting there, waiting to be used.
Of all of them, Kalas has performed best this season. Van Aanholt should have another season on loan, and be told that he will replace Cole when he finally retires. I don’t think he would mind that, having regular playing time, knowing you’re coming back to the team would make him feel wanted.
Bruma seems somewhat of a disappointment to me and may be sold this summer, which I don’t mind. The integration of Ake and Kalas into the first team set-up would be more than adequate to cover the holes in our back four and would provide both players with some excellent experience.
Midfield:
In the midfield, we seem to have an embarrassment of riches, a complete contrast to our striking options. Here we have a very settled midfield and with Andre Schurrle already added to the mix, there is argument to be had that not much else needs to be done.
I for one would also bring back Kakuta and Piazon during pre-season. I would let them show what they have and try to impress and maybe use them in a similar way to the other youngsters in the cup games and some of the less meaningful games. With one of the smallest squads of any of the Champions League teams this year, we need to make sure we have the strength in depth.