Three positions Chelsea needs to address in the transfer market

Forward

Depending on how you look at it, Chelsea’s 3-4-3 formation either has one forward or three. In practice though, it’s three forwards: a center forward and two forwards flanking him. Whether the flanking forwards are called attacking midfielders or wingers is up to personal preference as it’s simply splitting hairs for the sake of it. The point though is that the Blues need someone else in mainly because they’re likely to lose a lot of forwards this windows, and the ones not linked to a move away leave a lot to be desired. Kai Havertz and Mason Mount simply cannot be reliable sources of quality chances or goals over a whole season.

To be more specific, Havertz cannot be relied on for goals and Mount cannot be relied on for chances. Chelsea has other forwards, yes, but they seem to be even less trusted than the aforementioned and they are even being linked with moves away. Romelu Lukaku, who Chelsea bought at the beginning of last season, has returned to Inter Milan; Timo Werner returned to RB Leipzig; Hakim Ziyech is linked with a move to AC Milan by transfer expert Fabrizio Romano; and Callum Hudson-Odoi is linked with a move to Leicester City by the same source. This leaves just Christian Pulisic, who is not trusted by either his manager or the fans.

Chelsea needs a forward who can be as comfortable being on the giving end of quality chances, as well as on the receiving end. The Blues need forwards they can trust to always make the right decisions in the final third, or at least make the right decision 85% of the time. Yes, they have signed Raheem Sterling, but while Sterling can be trusted to get on the end of quality chances, he’s never been much of a creator.

For several seasons now, Chelsea has not created enough quality chances for the right people. When Lukaku was at the club last season, Mateo Kovacic, James, Mount and Ziyech created a combined 36 big chances in the Premier League. Yet, Lukaku only received five big chances. 18 big chances fell to Havertz and 11 big chances fell to Pulisic. Chelsea needs to create quality chances, but also for the right people. The Blues need someone that can boost their chance creation and goalscoring numbers by about 30-40% in order to truly succeed.

What are the positions you believe the Blues need to address? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or on Twitter!