Chelsea's transfer window has been far from straightforward. Early preparations were delayed due to sanctions, a new hierarchy has formed following the takeover with Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel taking leadership over transfers following the departures of Marina Granovskaia, and Petr Cech and competition has proved difficult.
Deals for Raphinha and Matthijs de Ligt failed as the players found preferred destinations in Barcelona and Bayern Munich, respectively. Nevertheless, the Blues were able to land Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly to prove that Chelsea can still land blockbuster singings, albeit with less competition than they've found with other targets.
The west London side appear to have been punished for their pause in the chase of Jules Kounde, who Chelsea have long since agreed personal terms for, with Barcelona pushing once again to prevent a player from arriving at Stamford Bridge. The Blues had been confident of completing a deal, but no official agreement with Sevilla has been forthcoming, leaving the Catalan giants with an opportunity to pounce.
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Reports suggest Chelsea are now leaving Kounde behind and moving on to Inter Milan wing-back Denzel Dumfries. The Dutch international was linked with Tuchel's side when the clubs were negotiating Romelu Lukaku's return to the San Siro, and he offers a different profile compared to previous targets.
Providing support for Reece James has been part of this summer's agenda, but reinforcing the centre of defence appears to have been the priority following the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, with the potential for Cesar Azpilicueta to also leave. It appears the Blues may be ready to pivot.
With Inter said to want a £40 million fee, it seems unlikely Dumfries could be simply a rotation option which begs the question of whether Tuchel could once again turn to James in his back three. The German coach rates the young Chelsea star very highly, even in his secondary position.
He said: "I would love to have two Reece James' to have the problem (of best position) solved! It is 55% towards wing-back and 45% towards back three. It depends on how the opponent plays against us, do we expect a lot of possession, and how their structure is for offensive transition. This can sometimes be helpful for Reece to play in back three and be the first guy to cover in transition and not be involved in the attack. So we have his speed and physicality and protection of the opponent's counter-attacks. These are the thoughts.
"I am leaning more into that his very best position is wing-back, where he is maybe more decisive, more useful. It is more demanding. His next step is to be a regular over 50, 55, 60 matches player. From there we have to decide. Both positions are filled with top quality with him."
It would be unfortunate to see James stifled into a regular, more defensive role, given how much he flourishes and adds to Chelsea in an attacking sense. Perhaps Tuchel will see bringing in another elite wing-back as the perfect way to ensure James can reach 60 matches in one season while also guarding any potential injury issues.
At the start of pre-season, Dujon Sterling was involved in the first team set-up following his return from Blackpool. The defender would provide another option for depth as a wing-back and can play on both flanks, as well as within a back three.
The 22-year-old did not travel to the tour of the USA and was injured during the opening half of Chelsea's development squad. Sterling picked up a knee injury which is not believed to be too serious, with another loan move being prepared.
The introduction of Dumfries to the squad would leave little room for Sterling in 2022/23, a tough ask already, having not worked with Tuchel over the last two weeks. James' role will be left with more questions, however, and while the England international will be the first choice on the right flank, whether gaps in the squad elsewhere mean convenient answers are found remains to be seen.
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