With Nemanja Matic now gone, Chelsea are on the lookout for someone who can fill the void. With the Blues participating in the Champions League next season, they would need more depth on their bench.
Here are three players who could fill that role effectively-
Rafinha- The Barcelona man has been widely linked with a move away from the club this summer after new manager Ernesto Valverde has made it pretty clear that he doesn’t see the player in his plans next season. The Brazilian international is an academy product of Barcelona, one that has failed tremendously last season.
And over that, the repetitive injuries that he had to endure took away most of the second part of his season and the 24-year-old ended up scoring just seven goals and two assists in 18 La Liga appearances. However, it doesn’t reflect his potential fully as he had to play mostly in the right-back position. With Fabregas reaching 30 fast, Rafinha could be a good long term option.
Danny Drinkwater- The no nonsense English midfielder was one of Premier League’s best performers in 2015 before the injury and Leicester City’s inability to hold onto Kante made him suffer last season. The box to box midfielder could be tremendously effective from the midfield and could really take Frank Lampard’s position quite effectively.
Despite having the towering Bakayoko in the midfield, Conte would be wary of his first season jitters. Truth be spoken, the French youngster is still a one season wonder and might need time to adapt to the rigorous style of playing in England. A backup like Drinkwater could be tremendously helpful, who could be used in all situations. The 27-year-old had scored three goals and provided eight assists in Leicester’s title winning season when they were firing on all cylinders. And with Eden Hazard, Alvaro Morata and Willian up front, he could flourish.
Renato Sanches- The future of this Bayern Munich teenager has become a source of much speculation this summer as Bayern Munich manager Carlo Ancelotti has accepted that the Bavarians are looking to offload him ahead of next season following a quiet season. The Portuguese midfielder had shown some real quality for Benfica in 2015 and was also an integral part of Portugal’s 2016 Euro campaign.
Bayern had to snap him up right from under Manchester United’s nose by splurging a staggering £30 million. However, he went goalless and failed to register any assists lasts season in 25 appearances. Having the likes of Thomas Muller, James Rodriguez, David Alaba, ahead of him, who can all excel in that position, his chances at Allianz Arena are dim and Chelsea can go for him.
