Having already signed Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly in this summer's transfer window, Thomas Tuchel and Chelsea could get a lot busier in the market in the coming weeks.
The Blues are looking at securing deals for a few more players to bolster Tuchel's squad, but some of the linked moves look tougher to pull off than others. Football.london understands that the Blues are set to bid for Sevilla's Jules Kounde and Paris Saint-Germain's Presnel Kimpembe in the coming week, but Chelsea has been on-and-off with Sevilla centre-back for almost the entire window.
There's also an outside chance of the Blues managing to hijack Manchester United's transfer of Frenkie de Jong from Barcelona as the Dutchman looks increasingly unlikely to make a move to Old Trafford. So, would Tuchel's dream transfers for this window have a huge effect on the Blues?
READ MORE: Todd Boehly plots perfect Jules Kounde backup plan as Man United rival £25m Chelsea transfer
Can Kimpembe, Kounde and De Jong replace those that Chelsea have let go this summer? We simulated the Blues' season to find out.
Tuchel's 'dream' transfers come true in 2022/23
For this simulation to happen, we used the in-game editor for Football Manager 2022 to allow the transfers of Kounde, Kimpembe, and De Jong to Chelsea at the start of the 2022 summer transfer window. We also updated the game with the latest transfers as Sterling and Koulibaly joined the squad.
Kimpembe's in-game attributes prove just how good of a transfer this could be for the Blues. The 26-year-old has everything that a centre-back needs - Bravery (18), Tackling (17), Marking (16), Heading (16) and Strength (16) all mark him out as a great target for Tuchel to replace the likes of Antonio Rudiger.
Kimpembe's statistics for 2022/23 were solid. He might not have had a goal contribution, but he led the team in Pass Completion (96%) and Headers Won % (84%). He also averaged a rating of 7.20, giving him the sixth-highest rating in the squad and the highest amongst the new arrivals to Stamford Bridge.
Kounde is a huge talent with even more room to improve. He has similar Heading and Tackling attributes to Kimpembe with a few differences in his Mental stats. His Physical attributes are incredibly balanced across the board and prove how well he could fit into the physical nature of the Premier League.
Kounde managed two assists in 36 appearances across all competitions and had an average rating of 7.18. He ranked second in the squad behind Kimpembe in Headers Won (356), Headers Won % (83%), and Passing Completion (94%).
De Jong's attributes prove how good he could be for the Blues - his Vision (18), First Touch (17), Passing (16), Dribbling (16) and Technique (16) shows how he'd compliment a player like N'Golo Kanté in a central pair of midfielders.
He managed eight goal contributions in 53 appearances, including six assists in the Premier League. His one goal came against Blackpool in the FA Cup Third Round after two minutes in a 2-0 win. De Jong also had the most appearances for the Blues out of any player, showing how much Tuchel valued the Dutchman.
Ratings-wise, Kimpembe was the best player out of the trio of new signings. The Frenchman suited Tuchel's system perfectly, outperforming both Koulibaly and Kounde in defence.
At the end of the season, FM22 released the Best XI from the Chelsea squad, using player statistics, league data and other measures to complete the team. Here’s Chelsea’s Best XI for the 2022/23 season according to our simulation.
Full Chelsea Best XI (3-4-2-1): Mendy; Kimpembe, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Kante, De Jong, Chilwell; Mount, Sterling; Havertz.
All Tuchel's new signings bar Kounde made the Blues' best XI in the simulation, with Kimpembe and Koulibaly making up a solid, new-look Chelsea back three along with Thiago Silva. De Jong partnered Kante in midfield, whilst Sterling started in the front three along with Mason Mount and Kai Havertz.
.Chelsea’s 2022/23 season overall from the simulation
Chelsea secured a third-place finish for the second-season running, but this time were only five points behind second-place Man City, although Liverpool did win the league by a big margin. Their biggest victory of the season came against Manchester United in a 5-0 thrashing, with goals from Callum Hudson-Odoi, Sterling, Havertz and a Timo Werner brace helping the Blues beat the Red Devils.
Domestically, Chelsea found success with Tuchel winning his first Carabao Cup after a penalty shootout win over United following a 2-2 draw. Their other cup run was ended in the Fifth Round though, as a 10-men Arsenal would find victory against the Blues once again in the FA Cup with Folarin Balogun scoring a penalty.
Their European trophy challenge didn't go as planned, however, with the Blues being beaten 3-1 on aggregate by Manchester City in the quarter-finals. They topped their Group ahead of Ajax, Paris Saint-Germain and Brøndby IF and faced Shakhtar Donetsk in the First Knockout Stage. The Blues beat them 4-2 on aggregate over both legs, but would fall to City in the last eight.
Overall, the transfers helped Chelsea go one step further than last season and win a trophy. Whilst the individuals had some great debut seasons, their impact didn't come to direct Chelsea's season as a whole, which may indicate more signings could be needed to challenge for the biggest honours next season.
Let us know which one of these three transfers you'd like to see most at Chelsea!
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