The strongest Chelsea XI at the moment in 4-2-3-1 formation

Chelsea has let go of several players which has obviously left the squad depleted. Yes, there are players the Blues are aggressively going after in this window, but nothing is guaranteed in football and before any other signing is made, Mauricio Pochettino may need to field an eleven from what he currently has. What would that lineup look like?

Kepa Arrizabalaga, Goalkeeper, Chelsea, Spain

Arrizabalaga actually had a fantastic last season, but many disregard it because of the overall campaign and the general performance of the squad. The fact is that the Spaniard’s form dipped slightly towards the end of the season. This unsurprisingly coincided with the appointment of Frank Lampard; the same manager in charge when the No.1 had the worst season of his professional career. Amongst keepers that played at least 19 games, Arrizabalaga placed 7th in saves per game, which is really high considering he’s a Chelsea keeper. He also placed joint 6th in clean sheets per game.

The Spain international ended up preventing 2.96 goals, a number that kept reducing from the moment Lampard was appointed. It would not be the worst thing in the world to go into the new season with the former Athletic Bilbao keeper between the sticks, and he’s by far the best option contracted to the club.

Reece James, Right back, England

James is one of the best right backs in Europe and has been since the 2021/22 season. His 2022/23 season was no good, but there’s a case to be made that he was never fully fit, which is an issue in and off itself. Malo Gusto has come in, and will be waiting in the wings to step in if James is not at the level Pochettino expects.