While there is no doubt that Chelsea need a new manager in time for the summer, there remains plenty of questions over the squad that the figure could look over. For any new head coach who takes the Stamford Bridge hotseat, they will hope to see a significant reduction in players, but at the same time may hope for some new additions to aid their attempts to return Chelsea to European football and beyond.
Mauricio Pochettino is the leading figure to take the Chelsea job and will have his work cut out if recent weeks are anything to go by. The Blues have lost six matches in a row since Frank Lampard took the helm as caretaker manager until the end of the season.
Chelsea will hope to complete plenty of business to begin to trim their squad and give Pochettino a manageable number to work with come the start of pre-season. That will be imperative with 20 loanees to return in addition to the 31 senior players the Blues recognise.
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The Blues are set to see some movement in goal. The futures of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy are both up in the air with each having two years remaining on their deals. Mendy may prove the easier to sell given the smaller investment the west London side made in the Senegal international, while Kepa's significant salary will continue to make a transfer difficult. His countryman David Raya could come in to provide some competition for the No.1 spot however, and the Brentford shotstopper already being settled in London could prove a bonus.
Chelsea's defence has the opportunity to be fairly settled as it moves onto it's next generation in 2023/24. Kalidou Koulibaly may have to make way, with some interest in Italy, but the Blues have a number of pieces at their disposal.
Malo Gusto will arrive to provide some much-needed back up to Reece James, while Marc Cucurella and Ben Chilwell operate on the left. Lewis Hall may hope to find a loan next term and Ian Maatsen appears more likely to move on from the club at the moment.
Crucial to securing Chelsea's future is retaining Levi Colwill's services following his loan to Brighton. He will benefit from the experience of Thiago Silva, and could help hand Chelsea an exciting young backline including Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile.
Midfield remains a priority for the Blues in the transfer market even after the addition of Enzo Fernandez. Declan Rice would be a dream move to make and could flourish under Pochettino, but with rivals such as Arsenal being able to offer Champions League football it may be a difficult move to make.
Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could both depart as they enter the final year of their deals and Chelsea meet their final opportunity to cash in, while Andrey Santos is set to join up with the first team in the summer, to ensure the Blues have a range of talents in the centre of the pitch.
Pochettino, may find himself with an opportunity to work with Mason Mount, despite links to Liverpool, and with 12 months to persuade the 24-year-old his career remains at Chelsea and Christian Nkunku is set to arrive to add another forward option to Chelsea's ranks. The former Spurs boss may be unlikely to work with Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech who have preferred moves way in recent transfer window.
Chelsea's need for a striker has been apparent however, and the likes of Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk may find themselves with a new one to supporter. Victor Osimhen will not come cheap, but having opted against spending significantly on Erling Haaland two years ago, perhaps there will be a temptation to try and solve the problem with more success than with Romelu Lukaku's arrival. Armando Broja should see greater opportunities to develop too, to provide some real competition once he has recovered from his injury.
Squad: Kepa Arrizabalaga, David Raya, Marcus Bettinelli, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Thiago Silva, Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Ben Chilwell, Marc Cucurella, N'Golo Kante, Declan Rice, Enzo Fernandez, Andrey Santos, Carney Chukwuemeka, Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount, Noni Madueke, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, Christian Nkunku, Armando Broja, Victor Osimhen.
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