Chelsea have been linked with former Liverpool sporting director Michael Edwards as Todd Boehly reshapes his backroom staff at Stamford Bridge.
Edwards left Liverpool at the end of the 2021/22 season after helping the Reds reach the top of English and European football. The 42-year-old moved to Anfield from Tottenham in 2011 and played a key role in the club appointing Jurgen Klopp as their manager in 2015, before moving into a sporting director role a year later.
According to reports, the Blues are set to approach Edwards to become the new sporting director at Stamford Bridge following Marina Granovskaia's departure. New owner Todd Boehly is in the process of reshaping the club's backroom staff and can still call upon Granovskaia's expertise in a non-official role while the club look for their new long-term sporting director.
READ MORE: Todd Boehly's brilliant Michael Edwards Chelsea decision can unlock new transfer guru
So, who would Michael Edwards sign as Thomas Tuchel looks to reshape his Chelsea squad? To have a look, we simulated the summer transfer window in Football Manager 2022 with the 42-year-old in charge of the Blues' incoming and outgoing transfers.
Chelsea's transfers with Edwards as Director of Football
To set up this simulation, we appointed Edwards as Chelsea's director of football, giving him full control over incoming and outgoing transfers. We then simulated the 2022/23 summer transfer window to see who the 42-year-old would sign and sell at Stamford Bridge.
This is Michael Edwards' in-game profile on Football Manager 2022.
Edwards' top attributes include his Determination (17), Level of Discipline (18), People Management (17), Judging Player Ability (17), Judging Player Potential (17), Tactical Knowledge (17) and Negotiating (19), making him a superb asset to any club. Edwards is a top member of staff on Football Manager 2022, with exceptional attributes across the board in a variety of roles.
Chelsea 2022 transfers in: £290million
- Matthijs de Ligt (Juventus) - £85million
- Jarrod Bowen (West Ham) - £65million
- Presnel Kimpembe (Paris Saint-Germain) - £48.5million
- Nathan Ake (Manchester City) - £45million
- Raphael Guerreiro (Borussia Dortmund) - £29.5million
- Duvan Zapata (Atalanta) - £16.75million
Edwards strengthened the Chelsea squad in two key areas, attack and defence. Three new centre-backs joined the club in the shape of Matthijs de Ligt from Juventus, Presnel Kimpembe from PSG and Nathan Ake from Manchester City.
The defence was the main focus for the Blues after letting go of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen on free transfers. Ben Chilwell's return to fitness was welcomed by Tuchel ahead of the 2022/23 season, but Raphael Guerreiro's addition to the squad added quality in depth at the left wing-back position.
Edwards invested a total of £208million into the Blues' backline ahead of next season, highlighting the importance of quality signings in that area. Chelsea weakened a rival with the signing of Ake from City, with the Dutch defender offering versatility and strength in depth as a squad player.
In attack, the Blues saw the arrival of West Ham's Jarrod Bowen following an exceptional campaign with West Ham last season, tallying double figures for both goals and assists. Only Mason Mount was able to achieve a similar feat for Tuchel's side last term highlighting the importance for a top-quality attacker to come in at Stamford Bridge.
Duvan Zapata joined the club from Serie A outfit Atalanta with the Colombian offering quality and experience in attack. Zapata represented a cheap, but impressive alternative for the outgoing Lukaku who is set to return to Inter on loan for the 2022/23 season after struggling under Tuchel.
Chelsea 2022 transfers out: £148million
- Conor Gallagher (Everton) - £38million
- Hakim Ziyech (West Ham) - £30million
- Armando Broja (West Ham) - £27million
- Callum Hudson-Odoi (Leeds) - £24million
- Michy Batshuayi (OGC Nice) - £12million
- Ross Barkley (Bournemouth) - £8million
- Marcos Alonso (Sevilla) - £5million
- Baba Rahman (Borussia Dortmund) - £4million
- Billy Gilmour (Young Boys) - Season-long loan (£240k fee)
After successful loan spells, Armando Broja and Conor Gallagher both left the club for a combined fee of £65million, seeing the Blues recoup the fee spent on Bowen. Chelsea were able to earn a total of £148million in player sales, taking their total net spend to £142million in the summer transfer window, with Hakim Ziyech, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Michy Batshuayi, Ross Barkley, Marcos Alonso and Baba Rahman all leaving on permanent deals.
According to Football Manager 2022, Edwards could spend close to £300million on incoming signings as Chelsea rebuilt their defence and strengthened their attacking options ahead of the 2022/23 campaign with De Ligt, Bowen, Kimpembe and Ake all signing for the club. Edwards was able to negotiate departures for players who were surplus to requirements at the club, whilst the club recouped a healthy profit for players who had successful loan spells last season.
Would you be happy with this Chelsea lineup next season? Let us know in the comments below.
