Paul Scholes has told Mauricio Pochettino the five positions in Chelsea's team that need strengthening ahead of the summer transfer window. The Blues are expected to conduct significant business in the upcoming trading period by making some marquee signings and sanctioning several outgoings to help balance the bloated squad.
Adding a natural striker, world class goalkeeper and a perfect midfield partner for Enzo Fernandez are the positions being looked at, alongside the requirements any target will have to fill. Victor Osimhen, Randal Kolo Muani and Dusan Vlahovic are some of the options in attack, with Andre Onana, David Raya and Gregor Kobel the keeper options.
As for central midfielders, Moises Caicedo, Declan Rice, Manuel Ugarte and Romeo Lavia have all been scouted by the Blues. Despite the need for further additions in the aforementioned positions, Scholes believes it is in defence where signings are necessary.
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"I think he’s [Pochettino] going to have to buy a couple of centre-halves, possibly a right-back, possibly a left-back, a whole new back four," Scholes told Premier League Productions, via Mirror. "I’m not sure about either goalkeeper.
"But I think going forward, I always look at a team and I’m excited when they create chances, I think adding a centre-forward to that, they’re always going to create chances and if you’ve got a team who can score goals you’ve always got a chance."
Scholes' message to Pochettino does not bode well for what the Argentine is walking into considering that Todd Boehly has spent £232.3million on defensive additions in the last two windows. Just under 12 months ago, Wesley Fofana, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella joined the club before Benoit Badiashile and Malo Gusto were acquired in the January transfer window, with the latter re-joining Lyon on loan.
The summer arrivals have all struggled with injuries and form at different points this season. Koulibaly and Cucurella had been regulars under Graham Potter but were often caught out defensively, meanwhile Fofana has only been able to get a consistent run in the team recently after being plagued by injury for much of the campaign.
A hamstring problem for Badiashile has also seen him ruled out for a number of months, while Gusto has also faced injury issues back in France, but he has now recovered and will officially join the club on July 1. The transfer verdict from the Manchester United legend presents a worrying case for Pochettino though, given that the positions he mentions that need additions have almost all had recent arrivals fill them.
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