After a long time, it feels like Chelsea are moving in the right direction. They had their stumbles along the way but were ultimately able to finish fourth in the Premier League while also winning the Conference League. Also, they have done well to reach the final of the Club World Cup, although some would argue that they had the luck of the draw to thank for it.
Now, the Blues must back Enzo Maresca and give him what he needs to take this side to the next level. This cannot be a never-ending rebuild project. Soon, Chelsea must start competing for the top prizes in football once again. Hopefully, this Club World Cup proves to be the starting point rather than a one-off achievement.
If Chelsea are to build on this success, they will need to strengthen their squad further. They have already brought in Joao Pedro, Liam Delap and Jamie Gittens, but more needs to be done.
Perhaps some proven and experienced players are what Chelsea need right now on top of the exciting core they have already built. Just look at PSG, for example. Yes, they have invested heavily in rising talent. But at the same time, they also have established names like Marquinhos, Fabian Ruiz and Ousmane Dembele, who are in their early 30s or late 20s.
World-class player wants to join Chelsea this summer
One experienced player Chelsea were linked with earlier in the summer is Mike Maignan. While a move did not materialise back then, it might be a mistake to think that it is completely off the table.
It appears that Maginan himself is interested in a move to Chelsea. As reported by TBR Football, Graeme Bailey said:
"Max Allegri has talked about Mike Maignan staying on as captain, but that has little impact on the situation as he’s yet to sign a new contract yet, meaning he has one year left on his current deal. Chelsea are keeping close tabs on the Maignan situation.
“We understand that he would like to go to Chelsea. Robert Sanchez was told earlier in the summer that he can go and they offered him to West Ham as part of the Mohammed Kudus deal.
“Enzo Maresca has made it very clear that he wants a new number one. He doesn’t like any of the current options. So yeah, we haven’t heard the end of Mike Maignan to Chelsea this summer, that’s for sure."
For a long time, Maignan has been considered one of the top goalkeepers in Europe. In fact, Chelsea's interest in him is nothing new. The Frenchman was on the Blues' radar back in his Lille days but they ended up signing Edouard Mendy instead. To be fair, he did help the club win the Champions League.
Now 30 years of age, Maignan won't be a long-term solution for Chelsea. But he would perhaps provide some short-term stability between the posts. Even that has eluded the Blues since Thibaut Courtois' move to Real Madrid in 2018. That's seven years of going from one goalkeeper to another.