Let’s face it, Chelsea shot themselves in the foot last summer and there was no recovering from it. Antonio Conte might be a top manager, but even he can’t compete with a team that spent more than 200 million pounds signing a back four.
Chelsea let go of their spine, Nemanja Matic and John Terry, allowed Diego Costa to leave because of the apparent clash of egos and did nothing to replace them aptly. They just sat there and watched as the likes of Manchester City, Manchester United and Liverpool broke transfer records in the summer and winter transfer window.
The coming transfer window will be crucial for the Blues. One, because they’ll need to keep the existing bunch of quality players happy by showing enough ambition in the transfer market and two, because they will be under pressure as they are likely to miss out on Champions League football.
While you’ll find a comprehensive list of players who have been linked on the internet, we’re here to look at two players they should get their hands on to challenge Manchester City for the league next season…
Djibril Sidibé
Chelsea signed Emerson in the winter transfer window but he is yet to really impress and make a string of appearances. Marcos Alonso has done a pretty good job, though, and Emerson will have a full summer to adapt to life at Stamford Bridge.
On the other side, though, things aren’t that stable. Victor Moses was never going to do it consistently and Cesar Azpilicueta has done well in the back three, so Chelsea can no longer just shoehorn players. Zappacosta isn’t the best of right-backs and perhaps someone like Djibril Sidibe can do the trick.
The Monaco man is a runaway train; you don’t stop him when he makes a run. His crossing is pretty solid and he’d be a good addition defensively as well.
Jonathan Tah
Defensively, Chelsea haven’t been as good as last season. Granted, they’ve missed Matic, but Terry’s absence hasn’t been covered. David Luiz and Gary Cahill have been pretty disappointing so far this season and they need some fresh blood like Christensen to take the team forward.
Tah is every bit of the player who can be a good long-term buy for the club. A solid passer of the ball, he is built like a tank and can outmuscle any forward. He is still in his early 20s, so has time on his side to adapt and form a long partnership with Christensen.