Chelsea have sold over 10 senior players this summer, with more departures rumored to follow. Mauricio Pochettino’s arrival has not changed the club’s ruthless philosophy in the transfer market. The London club have opted to ship players out, before lining up replacements to take their place. This could have considerable impacts in the upcoming season and beyond.
Pochettino’s squad could be small in 2023/24
The start of the new Premier League season is a matter of weeks away, yet Chelsea still needs fresh recruitment. The midfield area especially needs to be addressed before the opening-day fixture against Liverpool. In the EPL odds, the most likely outcome is seen as a Liverpool triumph, offered at +145 at FanDuel.
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Chelsea have already spent over $100 million this summer, but considering their standards they are far from finished in the transfer window. The club will hope to add a number of signings prior to the visit of Liverpool, but the new coach will certainly start the squad with a relatively small and inexperienced squad.
The squad is stacked in the defensive areas, and there are plenty of options in attack. However, the midfield is far too slim for a team hoping to challenge for a place in the UEFA Champions League next season. Chelsea’s midfield currently consists primarily of development signings – players that the club will not be intending to rely on in the immediate future.
The West London club allowed senior midfielder Mateo Kovacic to join Manchester City this summer. But surely the UCL winners’ interest in the Croatian, should have indicated that he had the quality to remain in Chelsea’s midfield plans.
Chelsea also allowed a couple of their long-term midfield stars to leave and strengthen Arsenal and Manchester United respectively. The club has certainly deployed a confusing strategy this summer. They have willingly sold their senior players to rivals and left themselves with a small selection in the midfield areas.
Aside from the impact of the departures on the mere numbers within the squad, Chelsea have left themselves with a lack of leadership and experience in terms of their technicians in the middle of the pitch.
🚨 Mauricio Pochettino is growing increasingly concerned with the lack of experience in the squad and the slow progress of signings. (@TomRoddy_) #CFC pic.twitter.com/dXRFwenXmi
— Pys (@CFCPys) July 25, 2023
Pochettino’s squad would have surely been better suited to maintain its long-term core and allow the new signings to be integrated into the squad with less pressure to hit the ground running.
Besides the quality and specific profiles that have departed Chelsea, the overall squad depth is a huge worry in general. If Chelsea are to face an injury crisis this coming season, they will certainly not be prepared for it.
Chelsea’s squad lacks experience
In addition to Chelsea’s senior midfield departures priorly mentioned, several other experienced stars have left the club.
Kalidou Koulibaly and N’Golo Kante departed to Saudi Pro League clubs Al Hilal and At Ittihad respectively. Both offered a huge sense of experience in the Chelsea squad, and their absence certainly won’t go unnoticed.
Thiago Silva represents the only true leader that remains in the Chelsea squad, the likes of Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, and Kepa Arrizabalaga have now emerged as some of the most experienced players.
Aside from Silva, Kepa is the only vocal leader within Chelsea’s squad, and the number one spot may not even be his next season. Developing players need strong tutorship around them in order to improve and excel on the pitch.
Training day! #Cobham #ChelseaFC #ThiagoSilva pic.twitter.com/hbScTZctpN
— Thiago Silva (@tsilva3) July 7, 2023
The Brazilian defensive legend could have a tough job on his hands, as he will be in charge of helping the inexperienced players by influencing the mental aspects of their game in the upcoming campaign.
Most top European clubs have experienced players in various positions throughout the squad. Chelsea will not have this in Pochettino’s debut season at the club. This is a huge risk, albeit it could allow natural leaders within the squad to step up.
Some players may not have the greatest experience in terms of professional minutes under their belt. However, some have a natural tendency to lead by example on the pitch and play with a level of composure and confidence that influences others around them.
Uncertainty over the starting goalkeeper
Chelsea has already sold Edouard Mendy to Al Ahli of the SPL this summer. This has left them with Kepa as the only senior option in between the sticks.
Kepa is a solid shot-stopper on his day, but there is a huge question mark over his consistency. The Spanish keeper is excellent when it comes to playing the ball out from the back. However, he is prone to mistakes when it comes to playing in the bigger fixtures.
Lightning reactions ⚡️
Kepa Arrizabalaga’s tremendous stop against Aston Villa is your @Castrol Save of the Season!#PLAwards | @ChelseaFC pic.twitter.com/lqfoGNMhvz
— Premier League (@premierleague) June 4, 2023
Chelsea could potentially add another goalkeeper option in the market, although there has been a lack of names linked. Pochettino’s inexperienced squad vitally needs a reliable experienced keeper behind them.
The team’s defense especially is filled with players that are still learning their craft and polishing their skill sets in the early parts of their careers. The bare minimum for them to succeed would surely be a reliable goalkeeper backing them up, who instills confidence in them.
Chelsea lacks a prolific goalscorer
Romelu Lukaku has burned too many bridges at the club, and it looks certain that there will be a compromise found in order for him to depart this summer.
Another experienced frontman in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has also departed on a free transfer to Marseille.
Christopher Nkunku is the highlight of the offensive signings that have arrived ahead of the new league campaign. While he is a genuine world-class talent, he is more of a second-striker than an out-and-out forward that will score 20 league goals a season for the Blues.
Chelsea’s forward signings have all been brought in from other European leagues, and some even from South America. The fresh incomings are surely going to require a significant amount of time to adapt to the intensity of English football.
Across the range of attacking incomings, there is a theme maintained of raw talent, that is far from the peak of its development yet.
Chelsea are unlikely to harvest a regular goalscorer from amongst their new signings. Long-term the club may reap the benefits hugely of the recent signings. But again, their strategy in the transfer market is intriguing.
The club could have maintained the services of one of their experienced forwards. They would have a player to lead the team, that knows the Premier League well, and has a history of challenging for golden boots across Europe.
Lukaku is of course still on the club’s books, but the toxic relationship between him and CFC is unlikely to be resolved and he will surely depart. The club is set to gamble on their newly accumulated talents settling quickly into the league.
Chelsea struggled to score goals last season, as they averaged just a goal per Premier League fixture played. They have certainly added an abundance of offensive talent, but have taken a risk by not acquiring an attacking star that is in the prime days of their career.
Overall, Chelsea could have huge issues with squad depth, experience, and leadership over the coming season and beyond.
The club have taken huge risks in the transfer market, by willingly allowing long-term servants to join rivals and replacing them with players that are not proven in English football.
The approach to the transfer window this summer has certainly not been a pragmatic one under Pochettino, but perhaps the Argentine can surprise many next season, with his squad that is filled with huge potential, but lacks Premier League-proven talent.
