football.london takes an extensive look at the multiple places up for grabs in the Chelsea lineup for their first game of the Premier League season against Liverpool next month
Mauricio Pochettino is the man with the responsibility of trying to bring consistent success back to Chelsea Football Club.
Sounds rather straightforward, right? Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have shown over the past two-and-a-bit transfer windows they will back their head coach financially to go out and get some of the best talent from around the world.
It isn't simple, though - it's actually far from it. The challenge Pochettino faces may seem daunting, but it seems unfathomable for the side to plummet even more under his tutelage after a dismal 2022/23 campaign that saw them finish in the bottom half of the Premier League table and not win any trophies elsewhere.
Daunting as it may be, Pochettino was not put off by the task at hand and the Argentine, who took training at Cobham for the first time on Monday, is looking forward to getting properly stuck in at Stamford Bridge. Next season, which starts in just over a month, Chelsea will have no European distractions after failing to qualify for any continental competition.
Whisper it quietly, but the last time this was the case at Chelsea, the side went onto win the Premier League title under Antonio Conte in the Italian's first season at the club in 2016/17. It is unrealistic to expect a repeat of that fabulous season given how far off Chelsea were last term, but there is plenty of optimism growing around the club at the moment and that should only increase as the summer transfer window goes on.
The main focus for the club this summer is to offload their unwanted players and thus far they have more than succeeded in that respect. Eight players have left the club so far and there are a couple more who are looking close to leaving and decrease the size of what was a bloated squad last season.
Chelsea have generated over £200 million from selling their players this summer, with the window having only been open three weeks. The club's focus in the coming weeks is expected to turn to possible incomings and who they can bring into the squad before the start of the new season next month.
The Blues are after a new goalkeeper, with Mike Maignan and Andre Onana both targets. football.london understands 22-year-old Valencia shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili has also been watched by the club in recent months.
However, there are currently no talks underway with any of these three goalkeepers as the season approaches. Kepa Arrizabalaga is looking increasingly likely to go into the new campaign as Chelsea's first-choice in goal following the departure of Edouard Mendy. Chelsea, however, would be open to selling Kepa should they manage to sign a goalkeeper this summer.
Both full-back slots seem pretty certain in terms of who will be occupying them against Liverpool on the opening weekend of the season. Reece James and Ben Chilwell, should they stay fit, are one of the best full-back pairings in the Premier League and when they are available and playing, Chelsea look a completely different team.
Who starts in the centre of defence is the bigger and more gripping question to answer. Levi Colwill will return to Cobham once the Under-21 European Championships is over, with his England side reaching the final of the competition.
Pochettino is understood to be really excited to work with Colwill but the Argentine will need to have a conversation with the defender once he returns to training. By all accounts, though, it appears Colwill will have a big role in the XI next season and he could well be in the lineup alongside the experienced Thiago Silva.
There is a chance Pochettino could use a 4-2-3-1 formation like he used to do when manager of Tottenham. If that is the case, then Enzo Fernandez needs a partner alongside him. Moises Caicedo, anyone?
Chelsea have made Caicedo their priority signing this summer, as widely reported. The Blues are currently in talks with Brighton over a possible deal to sign the Ecuador international. The Seagulls are demanding around £80m for the midfielder but Chelsea would rather pay that in instalments instead of a one-off fee.
Then the front four is also an interesting topic of discussion. Raheem Sterling has been used as a No.10 on multiple occasions throughout his career, whether that was for Liverpool, Manchester City or England. He has flourished in the role at times so it will be interesting to see whether Pochettino has any plays for Chelsea's No.17 to play through the middle.
Noni Madueke and Mykhailo Mudryk could be the two wingers used out wide in the system. Both will be hoping to kick on in their first full season at Stamford Bridge after relatively slow starts for the pair, especially the latter.
Christopher Nkunku could be used as Chelsea's No.9 for the first game of the season. The France international, who had lit up the Bundesliga over the past couple of seasons, enjoyed his best spell at RB Leipzig as a centre-forward.
Nkunku, though, can play anywhere across the front line, so he could be used a little bit deeper. That would allow space for fellow new signing Nicolas Jackson to come in and be the central striker. But Nkunku could be the one trusted against Liverpool at the Bridge.
Possible Chelsea XI to face Liverpool: Kepa; James, Silva, Colwill, Chilwell; Fernandez, Caicedo; Madueke, Sterling, Mudryk; Nkunku.
Suycilmsuz
425
Nkunku no.7 Jersey Nicolas Jackson no.11 Jersey Mudryk no.10 Jersey Madueke no.8 Jersey