Three shrewd signings Chelsea should make this summer
By Anthony Gatt
3. Charles De Ketelaere (Club Brugge): CF/RW
This was probably the hardest position to fill due to it being the most glamorous group, which naturally will demand the highest transfer fees on the market. I could have mentioned the likes of either Cody Gakpo or Noni Madueke at PSV, but I wanted to be more original since I already chose Sangare from the Dutch club.
Wonderkid Adam Hzolek has just joined Bayer Leverkusen and both Christopher Nkunku and Darwin Nunez—who Chelsea may be after this summer—will demand upward £70 million. While I believe the Blues will sign one “ready made” forward this summer, adding another prospect like who I am going to mention shortly won’t hurt. I should note the futures of Christian Pulisic, Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech rely heavily on whether or not Chelsea needs to add more players up front alongside Kai Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Romelu Lukaku and Mason Mount.
Charles De Ketelaere, a 21-year-old forward for Club Brugge, may not have a starring role in his first season at Chelsea. However, being around top class players and an elite club will only help him flourish as as a player. Similar to Sangare, his stats don’t scream world class, but he did manage 18 goals and 10 assists this season. This is a massive improvement from the season prior, which shows that he has potential to continue to grow.
De Ketelaere is currently being linked to Leicester City, which seems more likely than a switch to west London as he would play much more with the Foxes. Valued at only £26 millions, it’s worth putting an offer in for the striker. Chelsea’s track record signing young Belgians is a great one so far with Kevin De Bruyne, Eden Hazard and Lukaku turning out to be world class players.
A new era is upon the Blues, with new owners, who will have their own way of operating the football club. It’s unlikely that Chelsea will continue to throw money around seemingly without a second thought. There will be a much more concentrated effort put toward scouting and finding these diamonds in the rough, but of course, alongside fielding a competitive team that can challenge on multiple fronts. That is why the players I mentioned should be explored further as I believe they can provide great depth to a squad that is in desperate need of a rebuild.
Next. Chelsea fans say thank you to Roman Abramovich. dark
Which signings do you think would be solid additions to Chelsea’s ranks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!