Chelsea have been tipped to pursue Marcus Rashford this summer, but they need a different kind of character. It's going to be a busy summer for the Blues as they look to adjust to life under new boss Xabi Alonso.
The Spaniard is going to want to remodel this Chelsea squad to turn around their fortunes following a season that saw them fail to qualify for Europe, although we don't yet know to what extent the board will allow such changes.
The Blues need a winger
What we do know is that Chelsea desperately need to add another winger to an attack that has felt incomplete for some time. Pedro Neto is clearly the best winger in the squad, but beyond him, there seems to be a big gap, even if there is excitement over Estevao Willian's fuiture.
One possible option is to go after Marcus Rashford, who is coming off an impressive league-winning season with Barcelona that saw him score 14 goals and register as many assists.
But Barca's signing of Anthony Gordan and their search for a Robert Lewandowski replacement has seen them pass up on the 30million euro option to buy they had built into the loan deal.
That has led Chelsea favourite Joe Cole to urge the Blues to make a move for the Manchester United star. He told The Sun: "It’s just a matter of the wages and the valuation. Rashford ticks a lot of boxes, but you don’t want to spend a fortune on him – he’d do a good job for Chelsea.”
Chelsea need a different type of mentality
Chelsea's recruitment this summer should focus on character as much as playing quality. Amid a cohort of young and largely experienced players, Chelsea need to introduce a hardened mentality to this dressing room.
They need players who are resilient to criticism, and players who can turn around a bad situation when one inevitably arises. Rashford, while a good player, does not have that character.
He has put up with a lot of criticism, so he is by no means mentally weak. In fact, he has come under more criticism than most during his career so far, and plenty of it unfair. But he has not shown himself to be someone who can continue performing at the highest level during those low points, and that is a red flag for Chelsea as they look to usher in a new culture.
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