The unthinkable may give Thomas Tuchel the Chelsea he really wants

Managers want clubs to be theirs. Few Chelsea managers get that chance. It takes time and a fair few transfers to really transform a team into the image a manager has for them.

Thomas Tuchel has done a lot with a team made of players brought in under Roberto Di Matteo, Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, and Frank Lampard. With only Romelu Lukaku truly to his name, it’s difficult for Tuchel to say this is his team yet.

There is a way it could be though, and Chelsea may already be heading down that path. Several players look set to leave this summer with their contracts expiring. They will need to be replaced. But it is already unusual to see players leave Chelsea as free agents and it is unlikely to continue once again. That is why the Blues may need to consider the unthinkable with players on expiring contracts: sell while they have value (if they won’t extend).

Yes, this includes N’Golo Kante and Jorginho. No manager in the world will want to lose one of those players, let alone both. But it is hard to ignore that Kante misses almost as many games as he bosses. It is hard to ignore the agents of Jorginho constantly talking about a return to Italy. Chelsea is already eyeing Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen leaving for free. Neither has anywhere close to the value of Jorginho or Kante, even at their age.

Come this summer, if neither player is willing to extend, it may be time to shop them out. Again, losing both would be a big hit for Chelsea, but one that offers opportunity.

Managers want club’s to be in their image, and there are few quicker ways to do that than through midfield. Midfield is the heart of the team coming and going and if a manager suddenly has the spots to fill it up with their own choices, that is hard to pass up no matter who is lost in the process. Tuchel has already talked about how part of the reason for three at the back is the shielding it provides Jorginho. For Kante, the concern is the injuries will only get worse as time moves on.

In their place, Tuchel could get two or more midfielders that match his overall ideas for Chelsea football club. Maybe that means Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni. Maybe it means getting Ousmane Dembele to shift Mason Mount back into the midfield. Maybe it means more opportunities for Conor Gallagher or Billy Gilmour if that is who Tuchel fancies.

The main idea here is not to lose Kante and Jorginho just to lose them, but to give Tuchel a midfield (and team) that is truly his and not the mishmash of several previous managers. Unfortunately, that may mean cutting the parts that are awkward fits or imperfect fits. Nothing should be done unless the right bid comes in for Kante and Jorginho, but it is hard to deny the opportunity that would present itself if Tuchel could get his own midfielders in the summer.