Chelsea are expected to add to their squad in the summer, so we simulated the upcoming transfer window to see who Mauricio Pochettino could add to his squad
With a host of players exiting Chelsea this summer, the Blues are expected to make a handful of new signings in the upcoming transfer window.
So, if Chelsea were to enter the transfer market with an unlimited budget, who could they sign? We used Football Manager 2023 to simulate the summer transfer window and find out.
To complete this simulation, we updated the Chelsea squad with the latest contract situations and players, allowing Football Manager 2023 to then decide who the Blues could sign in the 2023 summer transfer window. We assigned an unlimited budget for Pochettino's side, and these were the results.
Incomings: £497.5million
Chelsea broke the bank in the 2023/24 summer transfer window, with just under half of their total spending going towards bringing Paris Saint-Germain's Kylian Mbappe to Stamford Bridge for £215million after add-ons. With a number of midfielders leaving the club, Bayern Munich's Joshua Kimmich was signed for £76million, whilst Dusan Vlahovic was signed for £57million to join Christopher Nkunku as one of the new attackers in the squad.
Two more midfielders were added to the Blues squad in the simulation, with Douglas Luiz and Nicola Zalewski signing from Aston Villa and Roma respectively for a combined fee of £59.5million. And, more depth was added in defence, with Pierre Kalulu joining for £29.5million from Milan whilst experienced defender Nacho Fernandez arrived from Real Madrid for £8.5million after add-ons.
Outgoings (selected): £220.9million
Kai Havertz (Arsenal) - £61million
Mason Mount (Barcelona) - £47million (rising to £56million)
Mateo Kovacic (Manchester City) £30million
Kalidou Koulibaly (Al Hilal) - £20million
Hakim Ziyech (Al-Nassr) - £19million
Edouard Mendy (Al-Ahli) - £14million
Ruben Loftus-Cheek (Crystal Palace) - £11million (rising to £12.4million)
N'Golo Kante (Al-Ittihad) - Free transfer
Malo Gusto (Crystal Palace) - Season-long loan (£4million fee)
Lewis Hall (Burnley) - Season-long loan (£2.6million fee)
David Datro Fofana (Luton Town) - Season-long loan (£1.9million fee)
Faustino Anjorin (Sheffield Wednesday) -Season-long loan
Gabriel Slonina (Birmingham) - Season-long loan
Cesare Casadei (Bristol City) - Season-long loan
Harvey Vale (Charlton) - Season-long loan
As expected, there was a huge clearout in the summer transfer window, with quartet Koulibaly, Mendy, Ziyech and Kante all moving to Saudi Arabia. Havertz moved to Arsenal in the simulation whilst Mason Mount made a move to Barcelona, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek departed to Crystal Palace, bringing the total amount of sales to £220.9million.
Youngsters Lewis Hall, David Datro Fofana and Malo Gusto made loan moves to fellow Premier League clubs to gain experience, with the Blues earning £8.5million in loan fees. Faustino Anjorin, Gabriel Slonina, Cesare Casadei and Harvey Vale also made loan moves, with the young quartet moving to clubs in the Championship and League One.
Overall, FM23 predicts that without a budget, Chelsea could make a move for one of the world's best as well as seven other players after a huge clearout. The likes of Mbappe and Kimmich really would make it a dream transfer window, with the simulation making it clear the calibre of players the Blues may need to get back to their best next season.
Who would you keep or sell at Chelsea this summer? Let us know below!