Chelsea is eyeing a host of new signings during the summer transfer window, so how could Frank Lampard’s starting XI and squad look like if he lands his top targets?
Chelsea is planning on overhauling their squad ahead of the 2020/21 campaign with several new arrivals and plenty of sales expected before the Premier League season gets underway.
Frank Lampard is looking for greater depth as his side hope to compete both domestically and in Europe while the Blues manager is also desperate to reinforce a leaky defence.
Chelsea had the worst defensive record in the top half of the Premier League last term while they were unceremoniously dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich in the Round of 16.
The west London club is set to respond by potentially splashing over £250million on new signings in an effort to bridge the gap to Liverpool and Manchester City.
The Blues were banned from registering players last summer while they failed to get any deals done in the January window so Lampard is looking to make up for the lost time.
A £33.4m deal for Hakim Ziyech was struck back in February while Chelsea triggered Timo Werner’s £53m release clause at RB Leipzig in July, but who else is set to move to Stamford Bridge and which players are likely to depart?
Goalkeepers
It is clear that Lampard has lost faith in Kepa Arrizabalaga, despite the 25-year-old laying claim to the title of the most expensive goalkeeper in the world.
Kepa, who arrived from Athletic Bilbao for £71m in 2018, was dropped on two separate occasions this season and is set to be sold if a buyer can be found.
Chelsea is unlikely to recoup all of their investment and is said to be considering offers from £50m, although the Spaniard’s wages could put off potential suitors.
Jan Oblak was touted as an ideal replacement, with Kepa potentially heading to Atletico Madrid in return, but the Slovenian’s £110m release clause has seen the Blues look elsewhere.
Ben Foster and Nick Pope are both more affordable options but Ajax stopper Andre Onana appears best suited to Lampard’s preferred style of play and would be available for around £35m.
Willy Caballero looks set to continue as No 2 after penning a 12-month contract extension earlier this year.
Defence
Chelsea has serious problems at the back with Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Kurt Zouma and Fikayo Tomori all failing to nail down a regular starting berth this term.
Tomori has been linked with a loan move to Rennes while Lampard has identified Declan Rice as the solution to his centre-back woes, although the West Ham star is a natural midfielder.
The Chelsea boss is keen to convert the 21-year-old back into a central defender, although it remains to be seen if the England international can operate in a traditional back four.
West Ham wants £70m for Rice, while the Blues could be forced to shell out even more for Ben Chilwell.
Leicester is demanding £80m for the 23-year-old, who is considered one of Lampard’s priority targets this summer, while Emerson Palmieri is expected to join Inter Milan for around £30m.
Marcos Alonso may, therefore, be retained, although the Spaniard has also been linked with a move to Italy, while Cesar Azpilicueta and Reece James will battle it out for the right-back spot and Ethan Ampadu will hope to force his way into the senior squad.
Midfield
Chelsea has a wealth of midfield options but Lampard appears to have settled on N’Golo Kante and Mateo Kovacic as his first-choice starters.
Mason Mount has also featured heavily over the past 12 months, with the versatile youngster deployed in several different positions depending on Lampard’s chosen formation.
Billy Gilmour is next in the pecking order but will miss the start of the upcoming season due to knee surgery while big things are expected of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Jorginho had been linked with a move to Juventus but the Blues’ vice-captain may now be set to stay after Maurizio Sarri’s departure.
Finally, Ross Barkley has failed to fulfil his potential at Stamford Bridge and was reportedly offered as part of a swap deal to sign Rice – suggesting he does not feature in Lampard’s plans going forward.
Attack
It’s all change going forward for Chelsea, with Ziyech and Werner replacing Willian and Pedro after the pair left at the end of their contracts.
Werner is expected to come straight into the starting XI upfront, meaning Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud will find game time hard to come by while Michy Batshuayi is certain to be sold if a buyer can be found.
Ziyech should occupy the right flank while Christian Pulisic was Chelsea’s best player after lockdown and has moved well ahead of Callum Hudson-Odoi in Lampard’s eyes.
Club director Marina Granovskaia is thought to be locked in negotiations with Bayer Leverkusen over a transfer fee for Kai Havertz, with eh 21-year-old having already agreed to personal terms on a five-year deal.
The Bundesliga outfit wants £90m but it appears Chelsea are likely to get the deal done for just £72m – although this would push their overall spending past £250m if all their other targets are also signed.
The dream Chelsea starting XI after harvetz deal and £257m transfer spend
Chelsea Dream XI
(4-2-3-1): Onana; Azpilicueta, Rice, Zouma, Chilwell; Kante, Kovacic; Ziyech, Havertz, Pulisic; Werner
Chelsea Second XI
(4-3-3): Caballero; James, Christensen, Rudiger, Alonso; Jorginho, Gilmour, Loftus-Cheek, Mount, Hudson-Odoi, Abraham
Let us know your thoughts on this line up using the comment section
