Thomas Tuchel gets to stack the deck with a Chelsea reshuffle

The reason Liverpool and Manchester City are where they are is because they are their manager’s teams. Over years, Jurgen Klopp and Pep Guardiola were allowed to carefully remove players they had little use for while bringing in players that the team could be built around. It was not a quick process, but Liverpool is very much in Klopp’s image just as City is very much in Guardiola’s. Chelsea, meanwhile, has rarely had that same circumstance.

A manager lasting more than 18 months at Chelsea is in of itself a miracle. Finally, however, Chelsea seems to have a manager that will break through that barrier and seemingly even more. Thomas Tuchel has earned the right to make Chelsea his team and not a mishmash of other managers’ ideas. According to Matt Law, this will be a summer of reshuffling.

Step one is trimming the fat, something Chelsea’s already been doing for years now. Players like Ross Barkley and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are expected to be sold. Saul Niguez will not be signed. Players on the fringe like Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, and even Kepa Arrizabalaga will be sold if the price is right. And finally, the club will not be once bitten twice shy on contracts running out. N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, and Marcos Alonso will all seemingly have to sign or go (again, if the price is right).

That’s a lot of players outgoing, but they are mostly all players Tuchel has had to squeeze in because he had no other options. Chelsea is a team built from the conflicting ideas of Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Maurizio Sarri, and Frank Lampard. Though Tuchel has done a great job of aligning everyone in one direction, Chelsea still looks like a club of conflicting principles at times.

Guardiola and Klopp both had to clear their sides out before they could start molding their clubs in their images. Tuchel, having now made Chelsea world champions, will seemingly be allowed to replace anyone leaving with a player (more or less) of his choice. In one huge summer, the club could finally become Tuchel’s.

It seems fairly certain that Chelsea will lose at least one of Cesar Azpilicueta, Antonio Rudiger, and Andreas Christensen. For any player leaving, the Blues will need a centerback to fill the gap. Jules Kounde remains the top choice, but it is unlikely Chelsea can pull that off without triggering the release clause. Levi Colwill will return form a successful loan, but there may be a question as to how prepared he is for Premier League football without a loan first.

A similar situation will unfold at wingback or fullback. Alonso will be running out of his deal and is unlikely to be extended. At the same time, it’s also unlikely a club is willing to pay for him before he becomes a free agent. Chelsea could stick with Alonso, or they could opt to bring Ian Maatsen into the fold. But, like Colwill, the club may be hesitant of bringing a player in before seeing them in a top flight league first.

Midfield will also be formation dependent, but at the very least it seems certain Conor Gallagher will enter the conversation. Beyond him, a potential signing of one or both of Declan Rice and Aurelien Tchouameni may be predicated on cashing in on Kante or Jorginho. It would be a hefty blow for the club to lose either player, but if they will not extend there will be little other choice. Furthermore, if Tuchel wanted the club to be shaped in his image, the fastest way to do that would be through midfield signings. Even if it meant losing someone like Kante or Jorginho (or both) to make it happen.

Finally, the attack simply needs a reshuffle. Mason Mount, if he is still considered an attacker next season, is the only player that can feel 100 percent safe in his position at Chelsea. Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz, purely because of what the club invested in both, are likely to have spots too. Things get murkier for Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner, and even Callum Hudson-Odoi. Chelsea won’t take a substantial loss on any of those players, but they certainly wouldn’t say no to the right offer either.

In their place could be a spot for Armando Broja and Ousmane Dembele. It feels more and more like Broja will only stay at Chelsea if promised a seat at the table. Anything else and he is likely to force a move to Southampton who are practically begging for him to stay. Dembele will be a matter of free agency and, even with his injury issues, will provide Tuchel with a player he is familiar with.

Overall, the policy will remain what it has been at Chelsea the last few seasons: one in, one out. The Blues will mainly be looking to reshape this team into Tuchel’s team and that will involve a lot of players being available if teams can match Chelsea’s demands. Then, preferably with a heavy influence by Tuchel, the club can make sure the club meets Tuchel’s demands for a Premier League title charge.