Thomas Tuchel knows the scale of the rebuild required at Chelsea this summer – it's why the 48-year-old has remained at his home near the club's Cobham training ground rather than departing for a summer break. Every meeting counts. Every day matters. Time cannot be wasted.
Chelsea are already behind their Premier League rivals in strengthening for the 2022/23 campaign. The sanctions placed upon Roman Abramovich in March left the Blues unable to offer contracts to their existing players, such as Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, nor negotiate with clubs over potential signings. Everything was on hold.
That is all about to change with the takeover of the club by the consortium led by U.S. billionaire Todd Boehly. It has been approved by the Premier League and the UK government; all that is left is official confirmation from Chelsea, which is expected imminently.
READ MORE: Christopher Nkunku wanted by Chelsea as Todd Boehly hands Thomas Tuchel £200m transfer budget
From that point on, Chelsea's work in the summer transfer market begins. "We have to be fast and smart," Tuchel explained on Sunday. "We have a huge disadvantage – but it's not decisive yet. There is no need to make excuses, it is just the situation we are in, and we have to be as quick as possible.
"We have clear ideas for the profiles and characteristics of these players. But it's not like we put a name on the list, and then we get the player. We have to convince the player, speak to their clubs, and convince ourselves this is the player [we need]. So there is normally a lot of work, and it will be the same to be competitive next season."
Given the departures of Rudiger and Christensen – both of whom will leave on free transfers when their contracts expire next month – and the possibility of Cesar Azpilicueta requesting a move to Barcelona after ten years at Stamford Bridge, centre-back is a priority position for Chelsea.
There is no shortage of potential options. As previously reported by football.london, Tuchel would love to bring Marquinhos, who he coached at Paris Saint-Germain, to Stamford Bridge. However, such a transfer is deemed near impossible with the Ligue 1 champions under no pressure to sell. Marquinhos' teammate Presnel Kimpembe is viewed as a more attainable Tuchel target should PSG opt to refresh their backline.
Torino's Gleison Bremer – as football.london revealed earlier this month – was scouted by Chelsea during the 2021/22 season, but the Brazilian, who has predominantly played on the left of a back three, is expected to seal a move to Inter Milan. That may result in a move for RB Leipzig's Josko Gvardiol coming to fruition instead.
There is one name missing from the above list: Jules Kounde. Chelsea attempted to complete a deal for the 23-year-old last summer but were left frustrated by Sevilla – the La Liga side bumped up their asking price as the transfer window edged towards its conclusion.
Such tactics are not expected this time around from Sevilla and there is an expectation that Kounde becomes the first signing of the Boehly era at Chelsea; the defender is understood to have his heart set on a move to Stamford Bridge and was pictured in London earlier this week.
Standing 5ft 10ins, Kounde would not be classed as a traditional Premier League centre-back. However, sources close to the France international have told football.london that is part of his desire to join Chelsea; Kounde wants to take on the challenge of playing in the English top flight.
With Christensen moving on – and possibly Azpilicueta too – a spot on the right of Tuchel's back three may be open for Kounde. Yet if the Chelsea head coach was to move to a back four, the Frenchman would also be able to fill in at right-back in addition to the heart of the defence.
Adaptable, young, but with several years of top-level experience at the age of 23, Kounde's arrival would be a statement of intent from Chelsea. A sign that this summer's rebuild, as Tuchel wanted, can be done quickly and effectively as the Blues bid to close the gap to Man City and Liverpool once more.
