Chelsea finished their Premier League campaign with yet another victory yesterday, lifting the Premier League title after defeating Sunderland and capping off what has been an impressive debut campaign under the guidance of Antonio Conte.

The Italian’s side have been the pacesetters in the Premier League since September, where the Blues shifted to a three-man defence after a slow start to the season- with a 3-0 defeat to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium being the final straw.

From there, Cesar Azpilicueta, David Luiz and Gary Cahill have been the club’s go-to options, with veteran skipper John Terry playing a peripheral role in his final season at Stamford Bridge, and the defence has excelled in the process.

However, replacing Terry and his experience will be a stern test in the summer ahead, particularly as Chelsea’s squad depth will be tested next season with the return to Champions League endeavours- and the Blues defence is ageing.

Gary Cahill turns 32 at the end of this year and is well into the twilight years of his career, whilst David Luiz turned 30 in April and Cesar Azpilicueta, 27, has been attracting heavy interest from Catalan giants Barcelona.

Beyond that trio Chelsea’s other central defenders have struggled for opportunities, with John Terry, Nathan Ake and Kurt Zouma only earning a combined total of ten Premier League starts this season- six of which came from Terry.

Ake impressed on-loan at Bournemouth in the first-half of the Premier League campaign, showing he’s capable of going toe-to-toe with the elite players domestically, and Zouma has previously showed indications that he’s a reliable option- although the French ace’s performances have dipped under the guidance of Conte.

The return of Andreas Christensen from his successful loan stint with Borussia Monchengladbach could be decisive for the Blues, as the Danish ace has certainly benefitted from his array of experience in the Bundesliga, but Chelsea are putting a lot of faith in players that are still relatively unproven.

That could turn out to be costly when the Blues balance their domestic endeavours with involvement in football on the continent and Conte’s side may benefit from purchasing a top-class defender this summer, with experience at the top and one that still has years ahead of him.

The likes of Southampton’s Virgil Van Dijk and Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge this summer and the experience in European football that the latter provides could see him stand-out as the ideal recruit for Conte’s side.

At 25, Koulibaly boasts an array of experience but crucially has many years ahead of him at the top of the game, whereas with Van Dijk Chelsea would have a player that is the right age but lacks significant experience within European football.

Balanced with the experience of Cahill and Luiz, both players could be hits at Stamford Bridge but they’ll need to make a lasting impression if they are to fill the huge void John Terry’s departure will leave in West London.