Hello and welcome to Early Doors Football! Thanks to a very slow transfer window from Chelsea, I have the perfect opportunity to do another squad rebuild article. While Boehly and Tuchel have allegedly been busy in the market, they have yet to confirm any signings. As time ticks by, the urgency will increase, so I am going to suggest some players that I believe should be brought in or sold. This article will be structured in a similar fashion to the Borussia Dortmund rebuild, but I will give a quick refresher of how I will proceed. I will absolutely be making decisions in a realistic fashion. If I do not believe a signing could happen in the real world, whether for monetary reasons or others, I will avoid it completely. Financially, I am going to remain reasonable as well. Even with the new ownership wanting to make a statement, they will only inject so much cash into the Blues, so I will do the same. This budget will still be quite large, as the American ownership is rumored to be willing to overhaul the squad, so there will still be plenty to work with. Lastly, I will be taking existing transfers into account, as well as rumors or moves that have been touted to happen. This once again keeps things grounded and realistic, as I am looking to work with what the club already has. With those stipulations in place, let’s jump into the rebuild!
Blue No More: Departures
The departures that have already occurred have both made my life easier and given me a lot of work to do. First off, we must address the elephant in the room: Romelu Lukaku. A loan back to Inter Milan, for a fee of roughly €10 million, has already been agreed. Yes, Chelsea bought him for ten times that amount from the very same club last season, feel free to laugh at the absurdity of this move. As ridiculous of a transfer as this is, it had to be done. It became very clear as the season wore on that there was no road back for Lukaku. Thanks to himself and Tuchel as well, the bridges had been burned and he had to be removed. Tuchel was unwilling to alter his existing system and Lukaku was unwilling to adjust his gameplay, so everything is simpler when he is removed from the equation. While Lukaku’s departure makes the situation more straightforward, two departures at the back leave me with a tall order to find their replacements. Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger have both left on a free transfer following contract expirations, so defensive additions will be much needed. Rudiger’s departure leaves a particularly large hole in Chelsea’s defense, as he has been absolutely phenomenal since Tuchel took charge. Next, the attention shifts to further up the pitch. With Jorginho’s and Kante’s contracts both expiring next summer, I think one of them needs to be cashed in. Both have been fantastic over the past years, so they are not being sold because of poor performances, but rather sustainability. Additionally, with the return of Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour, the center of midfield is becoming crowded. The returning loanees have the quality to come in and get minutes in the first team, so I think now is the right time for one of the already-present players to move on. While picking between Kante and Jorginho is difficult, Jorginho is the player that I would sell. There has already been some rumored interest in Italy from the likes of Juventus, so it seems like a reasonable move. Jorginho has done a lot of great things for the club, but I feel as if his time is waning. Tactically, it seems to me that he is not being utilized ideally. Perhaps that was because of the constantly changing formation of Chelsea last season, but I still think Kante is the better player to hold onto. As mentioned, this will open up space for Gallagher and Gilmour, who I believe have what it takes to kick on and cement themselves in the squad.
Lastly, we will look at the forward line. So far this window, most of the attackers have been rumored with a move away, but Ziyech looks the most likely to leave. AC Milan have become increasingly interested in acquiring the Moraccan’s services, and all parties appear to be willing to negotiate. Pulisic and Werner seemingly have no suitors, so any move away for them appears unlikely. Given the profiles of potential incoming forwards, the most logical sale would actually be Christian Pulisic, but this appears to be an unrealistic transfer at the moment. The American has had some bright moments in a Chelsea shirt, but has struggled to truly claim a spot in the starting 11. With players like Raheem Sterling, Ousmane Dembele, and Raphinha all touted with a move to Chelsea, it seems like his skill set may become less important. Ziyech, on the other hand, has a unique profile to these wingers. Whereas the previously mentioned players thrive on driving past defenders and dynamism, Ziyech is a bit more methodical and willing to pick out a pass. Variation in a squad is key, so for that reason, I will be keeping him and selling Pulisic. Rather than selling him for cash, I will be including him in a swap deal that I will get into shortly. Typically, I would avoid doing that as these deals are quite rare, however, this idea has been thrown around as a genuine possibility, so I will utilize it myself. With space created in our squad, we can now make the moves necessary to strengthen.
Boehly’s Business: Incomings Defense is the only place to start. With Chelsea losing two key center backs, there has to be significant reinforcement coming in. The Blues have been a team built on their strong defense since Tuchel has come in, so defensive signings must be the priority. While journalists have suggested that Tuchel may be looking to switch to a back four, I am going to move forward assuming that this is paper talk. A back four would likely mean only one center back arriving would be enough, but I am going to operate under the assumption that they will continue under a back three. The first player to bolster our back line will be Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus. The Dutchman is willing to leave the Italian side, so this is a deal that can undoubtedly be done. This is also where Pulisic will come into play. Juventus would certainly command a huge fee for the 22 year-old, and with their rumored interest in the American, I think a deal could be struck. De Ligt has been playing at a high level since his teenage years, and after a few years in Italy, I think he could be ready for a jump to the Premier League. While his time in Turin has not been perfect, I believe he has the attributes needed to fit into Chelsea’s backline. Since his time at Ajax, he has always been a great passer of the ball, while also being comfortable carrying the ball forward. Both in terms of carries and passes, he has been a very progressive center back, which is crucial for Chelsea defenders. With the Blues often dominating possession, every player needs to be comfortable playing line-breaking passes, and he is absolutely up to the task. In my view, he is a player with a very high upside, and exactly the sort of player you bring in to strengthen your defense. With Pulisic involved in the deal, I think €40 million on top would convince Juventus. It is definitely a major commitment, this deal would hit two birds with one stone. We both free up room in our attack, while bolstering the back line: an efficient move necessary in a busy window.
Next up, we need to sort out the left-sided center back. Numerous names have been linked with a move to London, but I think I have found a fantastic signing that may come from left field. With Kalidou Koulibaly set to leave Napoli, I considered moving for him, however, his profile is not quite what I am looking for. A player who I would have loved to bring in is Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig, but he commands far too high a fee. With the 20 year old’s contract running into 2026, Leipzig could demand a colossal fee for the Croatian. He has only had one season in Germany, so perhaps his stature and ability have yet to be fully determined, but he is undoubtedly one to watch for the future. Gvardiol has the attributes necessary to thrive at a huge club, so if he remains on his current trajectory, he will soon be at a top club.
My choice to slot in at left center back is Benoit Badiashile from Monaco. The 21 year-old Frenchman looks to be a perfect fit for Chelsea and Tuchel’s current play style for a variety of reasons. Firstly, like de Ligt, he is extremely proficient on the ball. Over all distances, he is in the top quartile for passes completed, when compared to other centerbacks (Statistics from FBref). Additionally, he is a successful progressive passer and a promising progressive carrier who is rarely dispossessed. Something that stood out to me in particular is his ability to defend high up the pitch. He is a very efficient presser, while also having a high quantity of successful tackles in the middle third of the pitch, suggesting he is comfortable in dangerous scenarios. Chelsea is often in control of a game and at risk of being counter attacked, so this skill would be hugely advantageous. With the Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva still present, as well as the potential inclusion of youngster Levi Colwill, I believe this backline is strong enough to compete next season. Thiago Silva’s age may become a worry in the near future, however that is a problem that can be solved next season. Even at his age, he has been world class, so there is no need to overly compensate for him at this moment. In the midfield, I think a defensive midfield addition is necessary. Most of Chelsea’s current midfield is “box to box” at best, so I think a true defensive midfielder is necessary. Not only would this strengthen squad depth, this would give Chelsea a few ways to approach the double pivot in which their midfield currently operates. With a lot of money being spent in other areas of the pitch, we need to be a bit savvy with how we spend our money here. For this problem, I think Ibrahim Sangare is the solution. The Ivorian is said to have a €35 million release clause in his contract with PSV, and I believe that such a price is very reasonable for a player of his quality. He has proven to be a great ball winning midfielder in his time in Holland, so his skill set could be of great use to Chelsea. Sangare has great tackling and interceptions statistics, and when combined with his on-the-ball proficiency, he becomes a very well-rounded defensive midfielder. He may not come in and play every game, but a player with his skill-set would be very welcome in Tuchel’s midfield. Finally, we move into the forward line. I need not linger with the first move, as it has basically been done for me already. As I am writing this, Sterling has agreed personal terms with Chelsea and is set to join for a fee of €45 million. This seems like a move that has been a bit downplayed, but I think it has the potential to do very well. Sterling’s attacking output cannot be understated, and that is something that Chelsea attackers have been severely lacking in recent seasons. The Englishman regularly finds himself in great positions drifting in off the left, so if he can replicate his clever movement for the Blues, they may have a far more productive attack this season. The price is reasonable as well, in my view, as he is a Premier League proven attacker, another thing Chelsea is lacking. Time will tell how good of a move will be, but in theory, I think this will be successful.
The final piece to my puzzle is a right-sided attacker. For this position, I am going to stick with the two players we have been heavily linked to: Raphinha and Ousmane Dembele. Both moves involve their own problems, so I was a bit torn with who to choose. Dembele would come in on a free transfer, but would likely demand huge wages. After a ridiculously turbulent time in Barcelona, I do not know if I could trust him to perform consistently. His horrid injury record meant he rarely got consistent runs in the side, but he ended last season stunningly. Perhaps he was playing for a contract or maybe we were seeing the real Dembele, that is the question. On the flip side, Raphinha would cost Chelsea a pretty penny, with a deal already agreed with Leeds for roughly €70 million. The Brazilian had a great Premier League season, but prefers a move to Barcelona, so everything is currently in limbo as Barcelona look to find the money to pry him away from his club. I am not excited to pay such a steep fee, but because of the question marks surrounding Dembele, I have to go with Raphinha. After already proving effective in the Premier League, I think he is a far less risky move than Dembele. Again, the fee is undoubtedly something I wince at, but the club has already demonstrated that it is willing to invest this. His addition brings some real competition to the front line as well, so ideally this can push everyone to perform at a top level. With all the signings made, let's look at the potential starting lineup for next season.
The Full Picture: Starting 11 for the 2022/23 Season
Because it is unknown exactly how Chelsea will line up next season, I made two formations. The 3-4-2-1 is how Chelsea typically set up under Tuchel, while the 4-3-3 is more of a hypothetical lineup if they switched to a back four. There is not a lot to note in the 3-back formation, however I do think it will be interesting to see who operates on the inside right of the front three. Raphinha tends to float out wide, which is not the way in which that position has operated under Tuchel previously, so I left Mount in that area, as he has really excelled in that area of the pitch.
In the 4-3-3, I absolutely love the look of that midfield. It is very balanced, so I think those three players could compliment each other nicely. What is great is that this team is still flexible, Gallagher, Gilmour, Ziyech, and Werner (among others) are in neither starting 11, so there are numerous ways that the Blues could operate within these two formations. Having a huge squad has increasingly become a prerequisite to success as schedules have become tighter, and I believe this squad has the depth to cope with consistent matches.
Well, that is where I will leave it. As many of you know by now, I am a Chelsea fan, so I loved taking this dive into my club to see where we can improve. I plan on doing a couple more rebuild articles for other clubs in the near future, so if there are any clubs you would like to see rebuild, send me an email or message on Instagram! Thank you for reading as always and have a lovely day.
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