Pre-season is here once again!
I'm very excited, it took us a while to hit the ground running under Boehly but we're making good progress, already signed some players (I'll talk about all the new incomings nearer the start of the PL season) and general mood feels positive.
We'll wait and see how our pre-season friendlies go - I don't really care about the results, I tend not to when it's pre-season friendlies as it's more about throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what sticks, giving players game time and match fitness, trying out new formations, that kind of thing.
Of course this is a great oppurtunity to assess the whole squad and it's where I see what players I think would fit in, or are ready to start making their name in the first team. I did this last year, the 5 players I picked out were:
Charly Musonda - didn't feature at all, suffering with injury before announcing he would be leaving and searching for a new club.
Armando Broja - who had success on loan at Southhampton, gaining some valuable Premier League experience
Conor Gallagher - who had a shining loan spell at Crystal Palace, showing his quality and becoming a key player in Viera's side
Malang Sarr - who had opportunities from the bench and in cup games for the first time, to varying successes. Though, to his benefit, Sarr looks settled at Chelsea and has become more vocal, which is always positive to see.
Ruben Loftus-Cheek - mainly a bench player, deployed in various positions across Tuchel's formation, primarily as a CM but also as a wing back and a brief trial as a striker.
Of course this year we benefit from 5 substitutions in the league, so there are even more opportunities for these players to get some game time and prove themselves.
This year there's some new faces and returning ones; here's 5 players I want to see stick around and get into the first team for the upcoming season.
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| Tuchel has confirmed Gallagher is in his plans for this season |
CONOR GALLAGHER - midfielder/attacking midfielder
Again, I know. But this time I know for sure that Conor will have a role in the first team at Chelsea. I mean, I would have been stunned if we didn't keep hold of him after such good form at Palace.
What remains to be seen is where he will be deployed. I know he'll be involved, but will he start? Most likely I think he'll drop into a role similar to Mount and act as an alternative option. If Tuchel opts for a 4 at the back then he could thrive in the midfield three, we'll have to wait and see.
I love Gallagher, and it was great seeing him do so well in the league last season. He's picked up POTS awards at both West Brom and Crystal Palace, which should be a glaring notice that he is more than ready to contest his place at a team like Chelsea.
We're lucky to have him with us and I hope he keeps up his form this year.
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| Colwill was a fan favourite at Huddersfield Town last season |
LEVI COLWILL - centre-back
I'm going to write something seperate about our wasted talent at centre back, because this very much feels like the last big chance we're going to have for a while. Colwill spent last season on loan at Huddersfield and has impressed a lot of critics.
There's been talk for the last week or two about our defenders. We're looking to replace the outgoings of Rudiger and Christensen, and potentially also our captain Azpilicueta.
Koulibaly has already been signed and we're looking to further that with the signings of Kimpembe and Jules Kounde.
I really hope, if we do bring in three CBs, that Colwill is not forgotten about or upset at the lack of game time. On one hand I can see the defence quality we may well possess going into the new season with our new signings plus veteran Thiago Silva, and this would give Colwill space to really develop.
On the other hand, Colwill looks hungry for regular minutes and if Tuchel is envisioning this all new defence with up to 3 first team defenders joining, opportunities for game time may fall flat. Plus, if Sarr and Chalobah stick around then Colwill would fall even further down the pecking order.
I'll talk about this more in another post but in short, we have one of the best youth academies in football, we've proven that these players can come through the ranks and cement their place in the team (Mount, James). I just hope we make use of this free gold instead of spending big on flashy transfers that will more or less do the same job.
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| Broja signed a long term contract extension last year |
ARMANDO BROJA - striker
Again this year as well, and I'm hoping this time he isn't shipped away on loan again, as I genuinely believe he's experienced enough to get some game time.
I think I said the same thing last year but Broja reminds me so much of Diego Costa, quick but also with the physicality and hold up play, and of course he knows where the goal is. Scored some impressive goals last year for Southhampton, some good solo runs - he's still only 20 but looks brimming with confidence, which is exactly what you want your goalscorers to have.
This time last year we were looking for a striker in the market and settled on Lukaku (we all know how successful that was), which meant that Kai took up the striker role, Timo as the backup. This year we've got some loanees returning, Broja being one of them, and I think he's gotten to a point where we can start to ease him into some games as a backup to Kai.
As I'm writing this, photos have come out of Broja wearing a protective boot, so it remains to be seen if he'll get as much game time in our first friendly this weekend, but fingers crossed.
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| Ampadu looks set to have a more prominent role in the squad this year |
ETHAN AMPADU - centre-back / defensive midfielder / wing-back(?)
"Wherever Thomas needs me, I’d be happy to play there. I’m more than comfortable playing, whether that’s at centre-back, in midfield, or at right wing-back."
Like Gallagher I think Ampadu is another player who Tuchel has intentions of keeping around, purely due to his versatility. His loan at Venezia last season was positive and I think he's ready to gain a place in the first team squad. Watching his last season highlights, he seems an energetic and high-pace player, committed in defence, which would be ticking all of Tuchel's boxes, I'm sure.
I see him in a similar role to Saul last year. He won't start every game but he could be a useful squad player, especially in that midfield holding 2 if we stick with a 3 at the back, or even as a CB or WB in the defence.
For free we'd be getting an extremely valuable squad player; another loan move would be wasteful.
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| Emerson with the CL trophy in 2021 |
EMERSON PALMIERI - left back / wing-back / LCB?
I had a think about who else to include - Gilmour and Batshuayi were shouts but I don't think they're guaranteed to stick around at the club, particularly the latter.
As a change from emerging youth talent I've gone for Emerson. Purely because if we lose Alonso this window to Barca or elsewhere, keeping hold of Emerson is a no-brainer.
Tuchel's a big fan, as well. When Chilwell got injured last season he desperately tried to recall the Brazillian from his loan at Lyon, but was turned down. Futhermore, there's been good conversations had about the player during pre-season so far, and fingers crossed we'll see him feature in our friendly games.
He'll absolutely be back-up to Chilwell as long as he stays fit, but I don't think he'll have too many complaints, and I'm sure there'll be chances for him to have starting spots. Similar to Chilwell he also isn't primarily a wing-back but can fit that role if needs be, so he can easilly move to a more defensive full-back in a back 4, should we go down that route.
Again, it means we have capable left-sided cover should we need it, without having to spend money in that area.