Who’s in, who’s out? Chelsea’s midfield for the 2020/21 season

Chelsea’s gotten a lot of help in the middle of the park from the transfer market, but what will the midfield look like next season?

For as long as Chelsea fans can remember, the Blues have trotted out superstars in the middle of the park. As far as Premier League clubs go, Chelsea consistently fields one of the strongest midfields in the league—that won’t change any time soon.

The addition of Kai Havertz has solidified an already star-studded rotation of players. The question now shifts from “who starts in the midfield?” to “do the Blues have enough room for everyone?”. The simple answer is no, they do not.

Therefore, with players returning from loan, new transfers being made and few leaving, the Chelsea midfield will have to look a bit different next season. Here is what the depth chart will likely look like for the Blues during their 2020/21 campaign, their second under Frank Lampard:

Starting with the obvious choices: Havertz is going to play a massive part for the Blues in the upcoming season. So much so, it’s looking like he’s going to be ready to go for the season opener in a week’s time. The club would’ve surely not spent a record fee on the German wunderkind had he not been in the gaffer’s plans. In addition, Mason Mount will play a similar role. Mount’s minutes may be down—which isn’t concerning given he played in 50+ matches last season—but he’s still one of Lampard’s most important players.

Although there have been rumors surrounding a possible N’Golo Kante exit, the world’s best defensive mid isn’t going anywhere. As he finds his fitness again, Kante is silencing those who doubted him in his absence. He gained a new set of skills under Maurizio Sarri, but Lampard will extract the best product out of the Frenchman in his natural position.

Alongside Kante is Chelsea’s 2019/20 Player of the Season, Mateo Kovacic. Kovacic will have as much of a role to play off the pitch as he will on it; he needs to step up as a leader given the departure of other proven winners. Kovacic’s play time—like Mount’s—may take a hit due to Havertz’s purchase, but make no mistake about it, Kovacic is crucial to this Chelsea side.

Behind the aforementioned, Ross Barkley, Billy Gilmour, Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Jorginho will be scrapping for minutes. Of the bunch, the future of Barkley looks most uncertain, but he’s also got the biggest impact of the group for the short term. Lampard has gotten the best out of the English midfielder, but Barkley’s beginning to hit a stage in his career where he can seldom afford to sit on the bench if he wants to be a star. Regardless, if Barkley stays, he’ll be an impact sub for the Blues. The same goes for Loftus-Cheek. The 24-year-old has spent a lot of time recovering from injuries, but if he’s in form, he can be a huge asset to Lampard. It’s hard to see RLC going elsewhere, especially after what he did on the pitch for Sarri two seasons ago.

Amongst those in the thick of transfer talks is Jorginho. The Italian rarely got a run out—and likely wouldn’t have if the team was fit—after the restart. Lampard changed the way his side played and Jorginho simply didn’t fit the scheme. It was believed he was on his way to Turin until Sarri got the sack; now, his future is as uncertain as they come. He could still yet play a part for the Blues, but the club will jump at the first opportunity to sell the regista, whenever that may be.

Gilmour broke through the side last season and looks to be staying again this year. As the key defensive reinforcement, the Scot will have an important role learning under the tutelage of Kante and Kovacic. Similarly, Tino Anjorin looks to make a Gilmour-esque breakthrough into the first team this season. His minutes will be scarce, but it wouldn’t shock anyone if Anjorin made the transition from the academy to training with the first team at Cobham early on.

The rest of the faces are likely to depart—either on loan or a permanent move. Ethan Ampadu completed his season-long loan to Sheffield United earlier in the week, with Tiemoue Bakayoko’s switch to Milan inching closer every day. Conor Gallagher is still weighing his temporary options ahead of an expected one-year stint elsewhere. Danny Drinkwater will never play a match for the Blues again, but his future is also unclear. The 30-year-old is getting tired of moving from one place to another, so a permanent move away isn’t inconceivable, despite his high wages.

That leaves Lewis Baker and Marco van Ginkel. Neither name has come up in the press much lately and although a transfer elsewhere would do them both the world of good, it’s possible one could remain in west London as an emergency back-up. The Blues are still interested in bringing in Declan Rice, as well. He would surely seal the fate of one of the fringe players in midfield, even if he is used as a centerback.

Who do you want to make up the Chelsea midfield? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!