With the season coming to a close with Chelsea's final matches of the season against Leicester City and Watford and Todd Boehly's takeover believed to be imminent, it's little wonder thoughts begin to turn to a new era at Stamford Bridge and beyond. The page will turn pretty quickly, with players expected back in first-team training 41 days after the final day of the Premier League season. Callum Hudson-Odoi and Ben Chilwell even sooner.
The question is, who? Pre-season in 2021/22 saw a staggered return due to EURO 2020, and the likes of Trevoh Chalobah found his place to impact the first team, a sign that it is a moment of rejuvenation and opportunity. There could be a much larger group in attendance at Cobham.
Those numbers are unlikely to include Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, while several decisions are to be made on players approaching the final year of their deals in N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Marcos Alonso. There will be anticipation over the players who could replace those who have left with a new owner coming in.
