In the wake of the acquisition of Romelu Lukaku, who is Chelsea’s next top transfer priority?
It is expected that Chelsea will announce the signing of Romelu Lukaku at any time now, assuming it hasn’t already done so by the time you read this.
Despite a sluggish start to the summer transfer window, the Blues were able to secure their number one priority in someone (anyone!) who can find the back of the net in the end.
Now that the sale of Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea has been finalized, the Blues can now shift their attention to other transfer priorities in the remaining weeks of the current transfer window. In this case, there are two main threads to follow: the outs and the ins, as is always the case.
For most of the season, Chelsea has struggled with their outs and counterattacks. The Blues are one of the few clubs in the league that can purchase players at or over market value. The teams to which the Blues must sell their assets simply do not have that type of money. As a result, players such as Danny Drinkwater, Michy Batshuayi, and Tiemoue Bakayoko will continue to play for the club until the club lowers its asking rates.
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The general squad picture for next season, on the other hand, makes things a lot clearer. Tammy Abraham and Armando Borja are anticipated to be sold or leased out as soon as Lukaku walks through the door, according to the latest reports. Trevoh Chalobah is also due a loan, as the depth at center back is set to become more pronounced.
Jules Kunde appears to be the most likely candidate to take over as Lukaku’s replacement. That transaction has been all but completed for nearly two weeks, and it was only halted when Chelsea’s first priority became possible. However, it is possible that he will not be the next target to enter the club as a result of a developing situation.
Chelsea is still in need of a fourth-choice midfielder for the time being. Ruben Loftus-Cheek appears to be in pole position for the time being, but he has not been named to the Super Cup team (yet, there is still time to make adjustments). Chalobah has also not been included, despite the fact that he is considered a center back for loan purposes. However, he is capable of playing in midfield as well.
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Even if it does ease up the congestion in the forward positions, it appears unlikely that Mason Mount will be moved into the pivot position this season. Mount appears to do his best work from deepest, and Thomas Tuchel did experiment with him in the pivot a couple of times last season, with mixed results. Mount is arguably best suited to the deepest position in a midfield three, so shifting him into the duo would be a difficult task, even if it improved the quality of top-level judgments.
Overall, it appears like Chelsea will pursue a center midfielder as their next goal, even though the Kounde deal is all but completed (apart from the price). Declan Rice appears to be out of reach as a result of Chelsea’s spending this summer (which is similar to the previous year), which has shifted attention to other, more affordable targets.
Although Aurelien Tchouameni has not been consistently linked to the team for some time, he appears to be the fans’ favorite. Meanwhile, Ampadu was utilized as a center back in the previous match, but he could be given a chance to prove himself in the Super Cup as a midfielder. And, in the same way, that Lukaku sprung out of nowhere, a midfield acquisition in the coming weeks may do the same.
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While the signing of Kunde appears to be a matter of when rather than if, he may be placed on hold while a center midfielder rises up the priority list. Chelsea can’t go into next season with only three choices when the season only has two starts, so either something from within the club or a transfer must emerge before Kunde is elevated to the top of the priority list.
