 |
| Antonio Conte has some serious issues he needs to resolve before his side begin their title defence. |
Antonio Conte led the Blues to Premier League glory in his debut season at Stamford Bridge with a record-breaking 30 wins, but the Italian has some serious issues he needs to resolve before his side begin their title defence.
Chelsea need a replacement for Costa
Let’s start off with the elephant in the room. Time is running out for Chelsea to find a suitable world-class replacement for striker Diego Costa, who is reportedly close to rejoining Atletico Madrid. Romelu Lukaku was seen as the ideal replacement for Costa, but Manchester United hijacked the Blues’ move and agreed a £75million deal with Everton to sign the Belgium striker. Since missing out on Lukaku, Chelsea have made enquiries regarding Alvaro Morata, Andrea Belotti, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Sergio Aguero. Signing Aguero would seem unrealistic, while Sky Sports in Germany report that Borussia Dortmund will no longer entertain selling Aubameyang. Chelsea need to act fast and get a world-class striker or they will struggle to defend their title. With just over three weeks remaining for the start of the season, Michy Batshuayi and Loic Remy are the only strikers available to Conte.
Competition for Moses and Alonso
Victor Moses and Marcos Alonso were fantastic last season, but both lacked competition for their places and Chelsea will need added depth and competition ahead of their return to the Champions League. The club have brought in German centre-back Antonio Rudiger from Roma, who can operate as a wing-back, although he is seen as a replacement for John Terry. The Blues looked set to sign Real Madrid right-back Danilo, but latest reports claim Manchester City are now leading the chase for the Brazilian. Conte is keen on signing Juventus left-back Alex Sandro, but that move looks unlikely to happen after Leonardo Bonucci joined AC Milan. Conte may have to move for Monaco’s Benjamin Mendy or Southampton’s Ryan Bertrand.
Chelsea will need another midfielder if Matic leaves
With Nathaniel Chalobah now at Watford and Nemanja Matic also on his way out, Chelsea are now rather light on midfield options for the start of the season. New signing Tiemoue Bakayoko, who arrived in a £40million deal from Monaco, will miss the first few fixtures recovering from knee surgery. That leaves Conte with just Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kante as recognised central midfielders. If Matic goes, Chelsea will no doubt need another midfielder.
Article by Chadley Nagel