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.
Wesley Fofana, Right centerback, France
Fofana is again a straight-forward choice, largely because of his price tag and wages, hence his status. The acumen of his reading of the game is well documented, and a unique thing about him last season was the fact that he won double the amount of fouls he made, making 0.7 fouls per game but getting fouled 1.4 times per game, which is unusual for a centerback. Chelsea also needs to continue to watch Fofana’s fitness so that he can be available as many times as the Blues need him.
Benoit Badiashile, Left centerback, France
Yes, the 6 ft. 5 centerback is currently injured, but he’s expected to return for the start of the 2023/24 season. There’s a strange push to insinuate that Levi Colwill should start over Badiashile if it became a choice. A push that is supported by nothing concrete. From reading of the game and dueling, to passing, Badiashile is comfortably the better player. This is not a knock on Colwill, as the former AS Monaco centerback is superb at what he does. Colwill is still a very good centerback, and will continue to develop as he plays, but the record needs to be set straight, as Badiashile is currently Chelsea’s best centerback.
Ben Chilwell, Left back, England
Another easy choice here. Chelsea suffered a lot in previous seasons when the former Leicester City defender got injured. He also has the issue of fitness, though everyone hopes that next season will be different when it comes to managing players injuries and recoveries.
Enzo Fernandez, Central midfielder, Argentina
Fernandez has already shown what he can do, and has become more valuable to the club the more central midfielders that have gone. Fernandez seems to prefer a free role, which is difficult to negotiate when you play in a pivot, but he contributes so much to build up that there’s a case to be made that he should be the more forward playing midfielder in the pivot. His central midfield partner is the point of concern.
Trevoh Chalobah, Central midfielder, England
Chalobah played at central midfield for Ligue 1 club Lorient in the 2020/21 season. As things stand, the Blues No. 14 is the best possible player at the club who can reasonably partner Fernandez in midfield. According to Sofascore, at Lorient, he won an impressive 3.7 ground duels per game at a 61% rate, that is superb for a central midfielder. His ball carrying that season was also top class, completing 73% of his dribbles attempted per game. He made 2.4 interceptions per game, and that volume of interceptions is extremely valuable to a team. Chalobah’s passing is very good, and more than good enough to be the pivot partner of a superb passer like Fernandez.
Noni Madueke, Right winger, England
Madueke left a lot to be desired when it came to making the final pass, but his dribbling and space creation was very good. With the former PSV Eindhoven youth player being the only nominal right winger at the club, he has the advantage of at least showing Pochettino what he can do before anyone else gets that chance, and he’d do well to use it. Chelsea is not linked to any known right wingers. Mykhailo Mudryk might partner Madueke at right winger for now, due to how both players play and how direct they both are.
Christopher Nkunku, Central attacking midfielder, France
Nkunku had a phenomenal season last year and the Blues are getting a very intelligent player. He’s the best option on the roster for this role.
Raheem Sterling, Left winger, England
Sterling is the strongest possible option at left winger. He came in as a high profile signing and while he has not lived up to the expectation, his quality is obvious. His presence in the starting lineup would be key, especially because he has a level of experience that no one else – except Thiago Silva – has, as he has been in high pressure environments for the past 7-8 seasons, so he would, more than most, know what’s required to perform and stay at the level expected of a Chelsea player.
Nicolas Jackson, Center forward, Senegal
Jackson would be the ideal striker option, mainly because the marquee striker signing that Chelsea made in 2021/22 has made it clear what he thinks about playing at Stamford Bridge again. A player that doesn’t want to be at the club is worse than a player that isn’t good enough to play at the club, because the former will affect a lot more than on-pitch results. Jackson is clearly a very gifted player, and deserves to get a chance to show what he can do under the tutelage of Pochettino.