Chelsea players showing any signing may be a luxury signing

This hasn’t been the best Euros for many players, but most of the Chelsea crew is almost all standing up and being counted. Jorginho has been the heartbeat of arguably the best side in the tournament. Andreas Christensen has held firm in a Danish side in a not so great place mentally. Mason Mount has been England’s best player with Billy Gilmour showing himself to be Scotland’s after one match. N’Golo Kante has been, well, N’Golo Kante. And Kai Havertz continues to grow into the player that was promised.

After winning the Champions League, Chelsea absolutely has to strike while the iron is hot, unlike their last two Premier League victories. This isn’t the time to say the squad is good enough to compete regardless of the reality. This is the time to strengthen and push even higher.

That being said, Chelsea isn’t desperate. The Chelsea squad is deep and performances indicate that there is more to come. Signings are needed, but they are all luxury signings now.

The Blues are surely targeting a striker. After that it gets pretty fuzzy about what position is a target but striker is a sure bet. The Blues simply didn’t score enough last season and, with Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud most likely leaving, the club could do with someone to fill that gap and put the ball in the net.

Enter Kai Havertz. Thomas Tuchel used the German as a false nine many times last season and Germany seems to have taken the hint. Against Portugal, the wunderkind ran riot as he created nearly every goal alone. Importantly, he did almost all of that around the striker’s spot.

Arguably, Havertz is Chelsea’s best finisher. Should Chelsea fail in their pursuit of a mega money striker, Havertz could very much get the job done for another year. Yes, he was part of the side that didn’t score enough but there is a key factor to consider: Thomas Tuchel.

Tuchel had just six months with Chelsea. Joining in midseason, there would be a limit as to what he could do tactically. He still won the Champions League and got the Blues top four. That’s without a full preseason and maybe two weeks that had uninterrupted training. The implication is, with a full preseason and more time to train, Chelsea will only get better. New signings will accelerate that, but the Blues should still improve with who they have.

So if Chelsea can’t find the cash to make an Erling Haaland deal, it’s not the end of the world if Havertz lines up as the tip of the spear. The club should score more next season regardless between Tuchel having more time to implement his ideas and the players becoming more settled in England.

As for other positions, similar stories are showing up. Billy Gilmour, in his first Scotland start, ran the show. He should have played more last season as it is but he can clearly be trusted should a midfielder be a nonstarter.

The centerback/wingback idea pivots around Reece James and where he lines up, but the Blues already had the depth there to do without a signing. James does seem to have limits at wingback, but Tuchel worked around them thus far and can improve those aspects for James.

Meanwhile, several highly promising loan players will be returning. Remember when Mason Mount and Reece James came from the Championship to be two of Chelsea’s most important players? Nothing says the likes of Marc Guehi, Conor Gallagher, and Armando Broja can’t make similar leaps from the Championship, a Championship bound club, and the Eredivisie.

This is not to say don’t buy a world class striker or Achraf Hakimi or Declan Rice or whoever should they become available. It is just to say it wouldn’t be the end of the world if Chelsea couldn’t make a deal happen for one or more of those spots. Chelsea should improve next season regardless with or without new signings and there are plenty that can fill the gaps as needed.

That’s a fantastic place for Chelsea to be. They won’t be bullied or rushed into overpaying or forcing a deal over the line for a less than ideal player. Chelsea’s got a strong squad and that makes every signing, necessary or not, a luxury they can afford.