Chelsea have a number of issues to deal with with the new Premier League season looming on the horizon.
Blues manager Thomas Tuchel recently delivered a stunning rant about his side’s lack of preparation for the next campaign after a crushing 4-0 loss to Arsenal in pre-season.
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Chelsea looked mediocre in pre-season
“I cannot guarantee that we will be ready (for the start of the season) in two weeks,” he said.
“They are the same players, so why should anything change?
“We will hopefully see a development, but at the moment we have the same problems because we have the same players.”
Tuchel is not one to water down his feelings and the situation at Chelsea is usually never as bleak as the German claims in the aftermath of a defeat.
Their dodgy pre-season was to be expected with just three games and an entirely renewed squad of 22 players, some of whom won’t be part of Tuchel’s plans.
Even with club-record signing Romelu Lukaku missing out last season and penalties imposed on ex-owner Roman Abramovich, the Blues still managed to finish third.
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Boehly was slow to restructure the club after its takeover, which initially delayed transfer plans
With new ownership now in place, US billionaire Todd Boehly has helped fund major moves for Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly – which undoubtedly improve Tuchel’s squad.
Full-backs Ben Chilwell and Reece James missed much of last season through injury, ending Chelsea’s title hopes, and Tuchel can field a stronger starting XI on opening day with everyone available.
However, the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leave them scrawny at the back, while Lukaku’s return to Inter Milan on loan means their search for a lethal striker continues.
There are problems at the club with a week before the new season – but they are not beyond repair and Boehly tried.
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The loss of Rudiger is a blow
The Blues have lost in races to sign defender Matthijs de Ligt and striker Raphinha, while centre-back Jules Kounde also looks set to snub Chelsea for Barca.
Now the club needs at least three players in a week.
Despite Koulibaly’s arrival, Tuchel’s defense looks light and the club now have decisions to make on aging full-backs Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso.
Both Spaniards have deals that expire in 2023 and it’s no secret that they want to follow Christensen to Barca this summer.
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Keeping Azpilicueta has become essential for Chelsea
Tuchel has spoken of the damage caused by his team’s unruly players, creating negative vibes – but at the moment the Blues cannot afford to sell defenders, especially Azpilicueta, who can replace the centre-back.
An injury to Trevoh Chalobah, Koulibaly or Thiago Silva, 37, and the club is in big trouble.
Leicester defender Wesley Fofana has become the club’s No.1 target after Kounde’s disappointment.
The 21-year-old Frenchman is a ready-made Premier League star and established himself as one of the brightest talents in English football before suffering a serious injury before the start of last season.
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Fofana is watched by Chelsea
France and Paris Saint-Germain defender Presnel Kimpembe was also considered an option for the Blues, but hopes on that deal are fading.
Tuchel worked with the 26-year-old during his time at Parc des Princes and linked the centre-back with current Chelsea Silva, but he looks set to stay in the French capital.
A few Inter Milan defenders also keep being mentioned about Chelsea: Denzel Dumfries and Milan Skriniar.
In midfield, the same decisions must be made on Jorginho and N’Golo Kante, also out of contract in 2023.
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Jorginho and Kante face uncertain future at Stamford Bridge
Both players are now in their 30s and Chelsea could use an injection of youth into their midfield, especially with the possibility of Jorginho and Kante leaving.
Conor Gallagher could be the answer, returning from an impressive loan spell at Crystal Palace, while the Blues have also been linked with Barca’s Frenkie de Jong.
Up top, Tuchel hopes Sterling can be the goalscorer he so desperately craves amid disappointing returns from his army of strikers last season.
The former Man City man can play in midfield as a No.9 and scored 20 Premier League goals in the 2019/20 campaign.
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Sterling has the potential to be a huge coup for Chelsea
The last time a Chelsea player achieved this feat – Diego Costa in 2016/17 – he won the title – and it was the same story with the Spanish striker in 2014/15.
But as with Gallagher, Armando Broja could provide the answers to Tuchel’s problems after returning from an impressive loan spell at Southampton.
Are there any problems at Chelsea? Yes. Do they need to recruit more players? Absolutely. Fofana and De Jong would do a lot to make things a bit more optimistic.
But it’s not as bad as Tuchel suggests – and many answers could be right under his nose.
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