If Chelsea approach the summer transfer window in the correct way then the club could have a 'complete' midfield for the first time, arguably, since Antonio Conte was in charge
Not since the Antonio Conte era at Stamford Bridge have Chelsea really had a complete midfield.
Back then, the Blues had Cesc Fabregas, who was playing some of the best football of his stupendous career. They also had Nemanja Matic, who in his prime was one of the – if not the – best defensive midfielders in the Premier League. And a certain N'Golo Kante who hadn't long been with the club but was already making an unbelievable impact on the pitch.
It was a midfield full of winners. A midfield who knew exactly what was required to get the job done. Ever since then, with the likes of Fabregas and Matic moving on, it just hasn't been the same at all.
Enzo oozes class. His awareness of where opposition players are at all times is remarkable. His awareness of where his teammates are without having to even look sometimes is frightening. He is widely expected to be a pillar of the Chelsea team for the next 10 years at least.
Graham Potter decided he saw enough of the four-back formation after a gutless Chelsea were beaten 2-0 at Tottenham last month. Potter switched the system to a 3-4-2-1 for the visit of Leeds United earlier in March – the beginning of the Blues' unbeaten four-match streak.
Chelsea supporters got to see Kovacic and Enzo alongside one another in this system for the first time on that day and immediately it looked a lot better than what we'd witnessed previously. They played with each other in the 1-0 defeat to Southampton recently but that was in more of a 4-3-3/4-2-3-1 formation, depending on how you look at it. That didn't work, but having the wing-backs nearer to them seems to make the system click better.
Whatever he wants to do, one thing is evident: Chelsea need to address the centre of midfield in the summer transfer window. It seems ridiculous to even suggest Chelsea need to address anywhere given the unbelievable amount of money Todd Boehly has put into the club in his almost-year-long tenure at Stamford Bridge. But the rebuild is not quite done yet.
Chelsea's current central midfield options:
Denis Zakaria (loan: contract expires June 2023), N'Golo Kante (contract expires June 2023), Enzo Fernandez (contract expires June 2031), Mateo Kovacic (contract expires June 2024), Conor Gallagher (contract expires June 2025), Ruben Loftus-Cheek (contract expires June 2024), Carney Chukwuemeka (contract expires June 2028), Mason Mount (contract expires June 2024)
There is uncertainty at the club regarding the futures of numerous of the midfielders (see above) so there could definitely be a couple in this position brought in over the 2023 summer transfer window. football.london understands the centre of midfield is high on the agenda for Chelsea at the end of the season and conversations have been frequent behind the scenes with the club's new-look transfer team.
Potter of course worked with the Argentine during the Chelsea head coach's time down on the south coast with the Seagulls. He knows exactly what he's capable of and what he can bring to the Blues should they make the move. He can play virtually anywhere in midfield; with stints in a midfield three, as a No.10, out wide or in a double pivot.
If Chelsea were to go back to a 4-3-3 in the future, then he is someone who could fit seamlessly into the side. Argentina played with a midfield three on numerous occasions in their World Cup campaign and Mac Allister was often used as a No.8, either side of Enzo, who would usually sit in and play as a No.6, with Rodrigo De Paul on the other side.
Mac Allister is someone who can dictate a game, very much like Fernandez in that respect, but someone who is more accustomed and natural in front of goal than his Argentine counterpart. He is perhaps the ideal No.8 for Chelsea in the long run and the dream partner for Enzo.