Chelsea are having an excellent season so far and look nailed on for a top-four finish – but what will their team look like in five years?
We come up with our best guess.
Goalkeeper: Nathan Baxter
The ball-playing goalkeeper has excellent distribution; he shone at Yeovil last season and is now thriving at Ross County. He signed a five-year contract in 2018 and is clearly well-thought-of.
Right-back: Reece James
Having starred at Wigan last season, James brings athleticism, remarkable maturity and unique technical quality to the Latics.
It may not be long before James takes the right-back spot off Cesar Azpilicueta…
Centre-backs: Kurt Zouma and Jake Clarke-Salter
Short-term, Chelsea may look next summer for a low-risk, experienced defender to shore things up.
Long-term, we may see a pairing of the powerful Kurt Zouma and Jake Clarke-Salter, who can play but also has a passionate desire to defend.
Left-back: Ben Chilwell
Chilwell is thriving this season at Leicester; he is showing incredible pace and stamina whilst adding maturity to his game.
Once Chelsea’s transfer ban is lifted, they may have the wherewithal to offer the impressive left-back a bigger salary than Leicester can.
Holding midfielder: Lisandro Martinez
Jorginho may not be a first-teamer at Chelsea when he is 32; a long-term replacement could be Lisandro Martinez.
The Ajax midfielder possesses many of Jorginho’s qualities but is perhaps stronger and more aggressive off the ball.
All-action midfielder: Ethan Ampadu
Ampadu looks the perfect long-term replacement for N’Golo Kante, showing his maturity for the Welsh national team.
The midfielder does a lot of covering work, he is clever in his challenges and has plenty of energy; the 19-year-old can progress the ball after winning it, too.
Advanced playmaker: Mason Mount
After proving himself on loan at Vitesse and Derby, Mount has earnt his chance in the Premier League this term.
As well as his creativity, Mount has scored four Premier League goals so far and is always in the thick of the action. He’s been outstanding under Lampard at two different clubs.
Right-winger: Jadon Sancho
The tricky winger is among the most exciting players in world football and, having been sold by Man City to Dortmund in 2017, may favour a return to England.
It’s a bit of an outside shot but Sancho can be backed at 20/1 with some bookmakers to move to Chelsea.
Left-winger: Christian Pulisic
Pulisic may be competing with Callum Hudson-Odoi for that left-sided spot for a long time.
Hudson-Odoi’s pace is an obvious threat and the 19-year-old has potential but for now, Lampard appears to favour the all-round quality of Pulisic.
Striker: Tammy Abraham
Abraham has starred since coming into this Chelsea team; he has used his athleticism to great effect and scored 10 goals in 13 Premier League appearances.
Abraham is amongst the frontrunners for this year’s PFA Young Player of the Year award after his lightning-fast start to life in the Premier League. You can get odds of around 11/4 for Abraham lifting the title along with no risk free bet offers from Freebets.uk.
It would certainly represent a big statement for Abraham. He’s competing for the award against his fellow Blues teammate Mason Mount. The midfielder is a little behind Abraham in the betting odds but a small dip in form could change that. Abraham, meanwhile, is even as low as 5/1 to become finish this season as the Premier League top goalscorer.
With 10 goals already, Abraham has proven a lot of people wrong. He’s a potential world-class star in the making.
