Chelsea keep, sell, buy ahead of the 2021/22 campaign: Midfielders

1 of 3

Chelsea’s English midfielder Mason Mount runs with the ball during the English FA Cup fourth round football match between Chelsea and Luton Town at Stamford Bridge in London on January 24, 2021.(Photo by DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP via Getty Images) /

Chelsea is once again expected to dip into the summer transfer market, despite splurging over £200 million last time around. However, much of the Blues’ activity depends upon who the club can offload first. Keeping that in mind, a few questions need to be answered—who stays, who goes and who comes in?

Having assessed the centreback and the fullback positions, we move on to midfielders:

1. Keep

Mason Mount has been a surprisingly divisive figure in the past two years for Chelsea. The youngster has had to shake off the tag of Frank Lampard’s favourite and win over a large portion of the fanbase. However, after a string of consistently good performance—coupled with praise from new boss Thomas Tuchel—Mount has turned even some of his most vocal critics around.

The England international is currently being used as an advanced attacker by Tuchel, often deployed behind one or more strikers. Nonetheless, he has shown that he can play in multiple positions in multiple formations and thrive in all of them. He should remain strictly on the not-for-sale list.

Tuchel currently rotates between Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho and N’Golo Kante in the central midfield areas. The pair selected is tasked with recycling and rotating the ball, finding gaps and then progressing it upfield. Defensively, they are asked not to venture too far forward so that the team retains numbers if faced with a quick counter-attack.

There may soon come a time where the board has to decide on the future of Kovacic, Jorginho and Kante though. Chelsea’s reliance on selling players to balance the books may force them to accept a big-money offer for one of their midfield stars. However, the club should consider keeping them around until at least 2022.

If Tuchel decides to stick with his current system for another season, then the club must keep hold of Billy Gilmour. The Scotsman has been linked with a loan move away. However, with Mount playing in a more advanced role, Gilmour will get his chance in central midfield, as the club fights for honours on four fronts.

Home/Chelsea FC Roster