Johannesburg - It will be an interesting time for Chelsea next season. The club has been sold by Roman Abramovich with Todd Boehly becoming its new owner.
It remains to be seen whether Boehly will be more patient with managers than Abramovich was at his peak as Chelsea owner.
The Stamford Bridge side do not need to make wholesale changes to their squad. Third place was a respectable league finish and they were also unlucky to have not claimed a trophy after losing the FA Cup and League Cup finals against Liverpool.
The biggest problem area that Chelsea need to rectify this off season is the striker issue. Romelu Lukaku was clearly a flop last season and is at an age where he simply will not get any better as a player. If the Blues want to cut their losses and get a respectable sum of money for the Belgian national team all-time top scorer, it makes sense to sell him now amid rumours of a return to former club Inter Milan.
One option the Blues have is to deploy Kai Havertz as a false nine. The arrival of Lukaku was supposed to have allowed the German to return to midfield and return to his best but that has not yet happened. Some would say that perhaps Havertz should have been used as a false nine last season with the Blues instead rectifying their defensive issues.
Two players that Chelsea can consider for the striker role should they opt to continue with Havertz in midfield are Robert Lewandowski and Jonathan David.
A player the Blues faithful can look forward to seeing next season is Conor Gallagher. The 22-year-old spent last season on loan with Crystal Palace and won the Eagles’ Player of the Season Award. His major strength is that he is capable of playing as a number six, eight or 10 and capable of scoring goals as he scored eight in the Premier League last term.
When it comes to dribbling and pushing play forward, Gallagher is somewhat similar to Matteo Kovacic. He can actually perform better than Kovacic around the box and be a better scoring threat.
The Blues can be expected to continue operating with a double pivot next season with one of their midfielders operating in a box-to-box role. This is where Gallagher would strongly fit in.
With Edouard Mendy having firmly established himself as Chelsea’s number one shot-stopper, it is time for the club to cut ties with Kepa Arrizabalaga. Kepa has not been a success at the club having been brought in back in 2018 as a replacement for Thibaut Courtois.
Veteran defender Cesar Azpilicueta can be expected to play a squad rotational role next season. From here on, the Spaniard’s advice off the field is arguably more important than his contributions on it.
IOL Sport