Against all the pre-season predictions, last season’s Europa League winner Chelsea have pulled off quite a surprise on the rest of the Premier League so far. Their young team has been hitting unexpected heights over the last couple of months, but to sustain this quality of football at the highest level, the Blues will undoubtedly have to make further additions to the team.
Although Frank Lampard might have multiple areas within the team that he wishes to address, the Blues are already said to have set their eyes on some specific players. According to a recent report by The Sun, Leicester full-back Ben Chilwell and Dortmund forward Timo Werner are both on the Blues’ transfer wish-list. Also, Chelsea are being urged to sign former star Nathan Ake by club scout Piet De Visser.
The Candidates
Ben Chilwell would be a fairly straightforward solution to the Blues left-back woes. Although Emerson has looked like a better option than Marcos Alonso this season, neither of them have been able to perform with any consistency up until this point. The acquisition of a tried and tested Premier League defender like Ben Chilwell would be a considerable boost to Lampard. Still young, the Englishman has a mean delivery under his belt and isn’t afraid to get forward at every possible opportunity.
Jadon Sancho is an exciting English winger who currently plies his trade in the German Bundesliga for Borussia Dortmund. A regular in Gareth Southgate’s national setup, Sancho would be a mammoth addition to Chelsea’s already stacked attack-line. His relationship with Callum Hudson-Odoi in the England camp is no secret and could play a big part in making this move a reality.
Nathan Ake is a former Chelsea academy product who secured a transfer to Bournemouth about a year ago, in search of regular playing time. Although he was always very highly rated, the Blues dependence on the old guard of defenders meant that he was never given the opportunity. With Lampard’s youth revolution now underway at Stamford Bridge, this could be the perfect time for the youngster to return.
Here’s How Chelsea Could Lineup At The Start Of Next season:
Formation – 4-3-3
GK – Kepa Arizzabalaga
The Spaniard became the most expensive keeper in the world when the Blues signed him last season, and the possibility of the Blues looking for competition in the position looks extremely bleak.
RB – Reece James
Although Cesar Azpilicueta is the club captain, like Gary Cahill, the Spaniard could also be eased out in favour of the prodigious Englishman. James’ quality going forward comes as an added advantage.
CB – Nathan Ake
The Bournemouth centre-half will surely be interested if given the opportunity to return to Stamford Bridge by Frank Lampard. Now a much more experienced player, he is sure to excel in the Blues setup.
CB – Fikayo Tomori
The youngster has been nothing short of a revelation since breaking into the side early in the campaign. Although Rudiger’s injury forced him into the team, it looks like it isn’t going to be easy to get him back out.
LB – Ben Chilwell
The English international has been performing wonders at the King Power Stadium, and his recent showing against Southampton is just one of the examples. He would be an upgrade on both the Blues’ current left-back options.
CM – Jorginho
The Italian international is slowly becoming a fan-favourite at Stamford Bridge because of how he’s controlled matches so far this season. His partnership with Kovacic is bearing a lot of fruit as well.
CM – N’Golo Kante
The French World Cup winner is arguably Chelsea’s only ‘world-class’ player, but the Blues must consider themselves extremely lucky to have acquired the services of this modest individual. His selflessness has singlehandedly won the Blues numerous football matches.
CM – Mateo Kovacic
Since joining from Real Madrid permanently, the Croatian international has gone from strength to strength, paying homage to the massive trust that Lampard has placed in him.
RM – Jadon Sancho
Despite being so young, the tricky Englishman would walk into the starting lineup at Premier League side, and Chelsea is no different. He could be forced to replace Hudson-Odoi in the XI though, owing largely to Christian Pulisic’s rise to superstardom.
LM – Christian Pulisic
The American superstar has begun to grow into this role at Stamford Bridge, having hit blistering form in recent weeks. With time, the speedster is only going to get better, potentially making him the Blues’ most important player going forward.
ST – Tammy Abraham
The English striker has earned himself a call-up to the national side and looks like the striker that the Blues have been looking for all these years. His scoring rate is quite impressive, and he could be the first-choice at Stamford Bridge for a long time to come.
