Five potential options for Chelsea’s fourth midfielder spot in 2021/22
4. Committee
I’ve seemingly labeled every option up until this point so there’s no sense in stopping now. Whereas Ampadu is the wildcard, this is simply a wild option, but an option nonetheless. If Chelsea chooses not to dip into the transfer market any more and sticks with its current core group of players, it could take a midfield-by-committee approach to the issue. Tuchel is known for evaluating each and every opponent thoroughly and planning specific tactics for each, why not do that when choosing midfielders? This becomes especially true when one considers Tuchel’s reported interest in changing up the Blues’ formation more often during the 21/22 campaign.
The aforementioned trio of Ampadu, Chalobah and Loftus-Cheek are included in this committee. Ampadu could get onto the pitch as the more defensive of the three, Chalobah could be used as a ball-carrying, dictating midfielder and Loftus-Cheek could spend his time higher up the pitch. These aren’t the only options available to Tuchel though.
For the sake of analyzing accurately, we’re going to assume the Blues line up in a 3-4-3 for every contest when discussing the next options. First is Mason Mount. Mount in the pivot is a topic that’s been discussed extensively within Chelsea circles over the last few seasons, even more so after Tuchel took charge. The reigning club Player of the Year currently plays as a winger under the German, but he’s made the odd cameo in midfield over the last two seasons. Gareth Southgate has also touched on the fact he likes the idea of the 22-year-old playing deeper to give the midfield an attacking spark. Mount’s still got a lot of room to grow and being a part of a pair could suit his game in the future—it just doesn’t seem like a permanent thing right now.
The other option is Reece James. The Blues’ pursuit of Achraf Hakimi this summer perhaps suggests Tuchel sees James’ future somewhere other than right wingback. James is positionally flexible, as he displayed when lining up as the rightmost centerback in a three-man defense toward the end of last season. He also played as both a central and defensive midfielder during his time on loan at Wigan and in the academy. Much like Mount, James got the occasional late-game run out in midfield under Frank Lampard. Both of the academy graduates offer temporary solutions to the problems of depth. Regardless, their talents are better suited elsewhere for a majority of minutes.
Last but not least, there is the curious case of Tino Anjorin. Anjorin is seemingly stuck in purgatory at the moment; he’s too good for the youth teams and not thought to be quite ready for regular appearances for the senior side. He was one of the unluckiest players in preseason camp as COVID-19 kept him out of the squad for a lengthy period of time. Anjorin hasn’t been involved since the trip to Ireland in much capacity outside of training, but it’s clear Tuchel thinks highly of him. If Anjorin stuck around, he could get some good minutes under his belt as a rotational fourth midfielder when the Blues need an attacking option.
Overall, this plan seems too unstable to work for an entire 60-game season. There are too many variables to consider, although if it anybody was crazy enough to try it, it’d be Tuchel.