N'Golo Kante missed his 35th game of the season for Chelsea through injury. This time it was his groin. Already since August, he's spent time out with a hamstring strain and knee troubles.
His replacement limped off injured after 35 minutes against Nottingham Forest. Mateo Kovacic, who football.london understands the club are happy to let go this summer, but failed to make a difference before his time was called. Given there are three games left to play it could be that the Croatian has played his last match for the Blues.
Coming off the bench in his place was Ruben Loftus-Cheek. It was the 27-year-old's second appearance under Frank Lampard having not played in the previous six games ahead of last week. He was only a substitute against Bournemouth.
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It left Lampard with Enzo Fernandez as the deepest midfielder, a role he isn't majorly suited too, with Conor Gallagher doing his best to create with harrying on-and-off ball work. Loftus-Cheek is a natural No8 in a 4-3-3 and slotted in alongside them.
However, after 45 minutes it was evident what the biggest transfer needed this summer is. Despite neither goalkeeper being convincing enough this season to warrant a first-team spot next year and the lack of goalscorer in the bloated squad, one substitute summed it all up.
Chelsea, now five years on from selling Nemanja Matic, still haven't found another defensive midfielder to play in the squad. Kante himself has been miscast in the role, Jorginho was an experiment that worked at times, failed during moments but ultimately doesn't fit the physical destroyer role which is perhaps the most important in world football at the moment.
Fernandez, though a great dictator of play, is not the same as Jorginho and benefits from being closer to the attack than the defence. He could also do with having a true defensive partner alongside him.
So here it was, Chelsea's needs all in one moment. Kovacic off and potentially out for the rest of the season. Kante, the man who came out for him, was all but ruled out for the same time. Fernandez left isolated behind him and no player from the bench was capable of massively enhancing things.
Kante himself, worryingly, is yet to sign a new deal. Although the 32-year-old has verbally committed himself to the project at Stamford Bridge it is a risk and yet to be seen if he can hold up long enough physically to compete at the top level for even 50% of a campaign. Meanwhile, the depth in midfield looks short as well.
Carney Chukwuemeka has been effectively exiled from first-team action since the winter. Gallagher, Mason Mount and Loftus-Cheek are all sellable, facing contract uncertainty and aren't defined members of the squad next year either. Andrey Santos is yet to get a visa let alone play a game for his new club.
It leaves the club in the position of not only needing to sort out the long-term futures of multiple players but also with a clear need for a new defensive-minded player to be added. There aren't short-changed for options in the market, though.
Declan Rice is a priority target and his manager has even started to publicly accept that there is a 'good chance' of the 24-year-old moving on. He has made his ambitions of playing in the Champions League clear, however, which could scupper plans. There is also the matter of his best friend, Mount, to consider.
West Ham's proximity to survival in the top flight also means the chances of snapping him up for a cut-price are unlikely. The Daily Mail write that even high-flying Arsenal, who have moved into pole position to sign him due to their form and offering of European football, 'fear being price out' of the deal.
For Chelsea to sign him would take a reported £120m, a huge price to pay given the outlay already spent on transfers under the new ownership and financial constraints of fair play rules and recording better accounting results.
Given the struggles shown against relegation-threatened Forest, though, his need has never been more apparent.
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