Finally, the whole sale debacle seems to behind us and we can now look forward to future ahead at Chelsea—in particular, to this summer’s transfer window. I’m sure you have heard the long list of individuals that the Blues have been linked with, but instead of listing the obvious marquee names that the club is after, I thought I could mention some obscure ones. It’s no secret that Chelsea needs a massive overhaul this summer in order refresh the squad with both Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen already leaving, with a few more players expected to follow. Thus, I am going to list one defender, one midfielder and one attacker that the Blues should look to add this summer. However, as I mentioned, these won’t be marquee names that will cost piles of money, but rather young players who have potential and can be a part of the squad next season.
Here are three relatively inexpensive and unknown players that Chelsea should target:
1. Goncalo Inacio (Sporting CP): CB
We start of with the most pressing issue at the club, which is the defense. Christensen and Rudiger have both departed for Spain, with Marcos Alonso and Cesar Azpilicueta seemingly preparing to follow them. That would leave the Blues with Trevoh Chalobah, Malang Sarr and Thiago Silva—who were all a part of this squad this season—and the returning Levi Colwill left at Thomas Tuchel’s disposal come preseason camp.
There’s huge question marks relating to both Colwill and Sarr’s futures, so that would leave Chelsea with just two senior centerbacks, which is nowhere near enough when you are playing a back four. You can imagine the panic, especially since Tuchel’s side plays a back three often. Jules Kounde to Chelsea is a deal that looks like it is happening, so we won’t talk about that much.
instead, we are going to talk about Goncalo Inacio. Inacio is a 20-year-old centerhalf who plays for both Sporting CP and the Portugal U21 team. He is currently valued at £17 million, and he has been a mainstay in the Sporting Lisbon defense since 2020. During that time, he’s scored five goals and helped the Leoes win their first league title since the 2001/02 season. The Portuguese youth international stands at 6’1 and is left footed, which makes him a perfect fit for a back three at Chelsea. He may not be the most glamorous name, but I would compare him to someone like Ruben Dias at Manchester City. Obviously, he’s not quite on that level just yet, but there’s hope he can grow into a player like Dias due their similar attributes and rise through the Primiera Liga.