After Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly signed on the dotted line for Chelsea during their tour of the United States, the excitement levels amongst the fanbase went through the roof but this feeling didn't last for too long.
A crushing 4-0 defeat at the Camping World Stadium against Premier League rivals Arsenal brought the Blues back down to reality. Despite all the hard work going on off the field by new owner Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, a lot more is needed to be done to satisfy a disgruntled Thomas Tuchel. The German was certainly in a fiery mood in his post-match press conference where he made an urgent appeal to 'quality players' who are needed at the expense of multiple members of the squad who are wanting out this summer like Timo Werner.
"There is no update, no update," Tuchel most recently said on the transfer front. "The analysing of the season does not change because of this game. Unfortunately, it proved my point and the last week proves my point. I would prefer to not be right and I did everything to prove myself wrong, but at the moment I feel I was right when I look at the last season and at the parts of the game where we struggled and how we struggled.
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"We got sanctioned and players left us, we know that some players are trying to leave us, and this is where it is. We had an urgent appeal for quality players and a huge amount of quality players. We've got two quality players – that is no doubt – but we are not competitive like this and unfortunately, we could see it today."
Whilst all focus is on defensive reinforcements currently with Boehly having to abandon his Jules Kounde plans as Presnel Kimpembe, Milan Skriniar, Josko Gvardiol and Pau Torres come more prominently into the picture, midfield and attack are two positions that could also be strengthened if the budget allowed for this.
And midfield is an area where ex-Blues icon Pat Nevin believes his former side needs to improve on as Conor Gallagher, Mason Mount and Jorginho were all exposed playing in a midfield three against the Gunners.
There is one certain player Nevin believes would make a 'massive difference' if Boehly was to somehow pull off a miracle. “I think Chelsea will finish between third and sixth. It might sound negative but Liverpool and Man City did phenomenal business and did it so far ahead," he predicted to BonusCodeBets. "There is no embarrassment in finishing behind them though as they are two of the greatest teams ever in Premier League history.
“If Chelsea could get Declan Rice, it would make a massive difference. Chelsea also need someone to score goals but not someone like Lukaku. I would have liked Lewandowski or Haaland but they’ve gone elsewhere.”
football.london understands that West Ham's stance is a firm not for sale regarding the Three Lions international and only an offer reaching £150million would be considered by the Hammers. With Billy Gilmour's future and a few others in the centre-of-the-park up in the air, one new midfielder may be needed to help implement Tuchel's ideal four at the back switch. Rice is likely not to be the man brought in this summer to solve this due to the steep price but a cheaper and more viable option like Adrien Rabiot could help solve this issue.
Chelsea fans - What midfielder with the exception of Declan Rice do you want to see be signed before the September deadline? Leave your thoughts in the comments section below!
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