Three Mega-Money Signings Which Could Put Chelsea Over The Top

Three Mega-Money Signings Which Could Put Chelsea Over The Top

Chelsea have bounced back from a mediocre season last year under Jose Mourinho and Guus Hiddink, where they finished 10th in the Premier League to achieving an awesome season under Antonio Conte where they have looked like Champions since before Christmas and will likely wrap up the title with a good number of League games left to play.

Chelsea made some very astute signings in the 2016 summer transfer such as David Luiz and Marcos Alonso. Antonio Conte has used those players to great affect as well as utilising nearly forgotten existing squad members like Victor Moses plus he has reinvigorated stars like Eden Hazard and Diego Costa. When this is all combined you have a squad of players who have performed at an extremely high level throughout the season, delivering consistently high quality performances which has translated into superb results.

Despite the undeniable strength and balance of the existing squad, Chelsea can and will be looking to add more quality and depth to their selection of first team players. Examining the spine of the team you can see that some key additions would indeed reinforce the options available to Conte and make the club incredibly well-resourced for the challenges of next season.

Starting in the centre of defence, having options for next season of Gary Cahill, Kurt Zouma and David Luiz looks pretty damn good (plus there is JT but he may be more on the coaching side of things). However, there is an acquisition which would make the Blues stronger. Adding Southampton captain Virgil van Dijk would be a very wise move. The Dutch international would not be joining to offer cover or be a back-up, no the centre-back would immediately demand a starting spot and would push the other 3 players to up their games. The Southampton star can play in any formation including a 3 at the back system comfortably; has Champions League experience; is strong in the air; is composed on the ball and is only 25 years old. In short the Dutch international is in serious demand throughout Europe with all of the Blues’ Premier League rivals linked with him and signing him would not only seriously enhance Chelsea’s defence but would also deny their rivals from getting much stronger in a key position. Virgil van Dijk could likely be signed for around £45 million which is actually very rather reasonable for such a talent in this crazy day and age.

Marco Verratti

Looking at the central midfield area Chelsea again have solid options in the form of the N’golo Kante, Nemanja Matic, Cesc Fabregas and Ruben Loftus-Cheek. In these players they have defensive minded options as well as more offensive types and Antonio Conte likes them all. However, there is a midfielder who could offer Conte the chance to field a player who combines high levels of both defensive and offensive skills. If Conte could pull off a deal to acquire Italian international Marco Verratti from PSG, he would be signing an industrious, dynamic, playmaker of a midfielder who can win the ball and do the dirty work at the defensive end of the pitch but can also deliver accurate long passes to launch attacks as well as playing intricate one-twos to create chances for his team-mates in the final third. It is no surprise that Verratti has been compared to the legendary Andrea Pirlo as the PSG star is able to remain calm when on the ball in traffic, is confident in possession and due to his low centre of gravity is able to retain the ball thanks to his amazing balance and tactical awareness. Verratti has the vision and game awareness of a much older player but at his young age of just 24 years of age he can pose a serious attacking threat while also being a major defensive asset due to his aggressive, edgy ball winning style. Verratti is still developing and almost certainly will add goals to his game and since he is still young he could be a Chelsea player for many seasons to come and could become a club legend if Conte can convince him to come to West London. Conte knows Verratti from his days as the Italian national team boss so he has an in. The transfer fee involved would be significant and would probably be north of £50 million but for a player who would be around for many seasons and offers so much it could be justified.

Finally looking at the centre-forward position Chelsea clearly have their first choice marksman in Diego Costa who combines raw power with goal-scoring prowess and the player will hopefully be staying with Chelsea after getting over issues earlier this season. The Blues also have the young dynamic Belgian international Michy Batshuayi who has not played much but has a fine pedigree. Batshuayi has spent time getting used to the Premier League and from his limited opportunities looks like he can become a force in the British game. Of course with Champions League football back on the menu for Chelsea the club will need to add another goal-scoring option upfront. Many names have been linked with the West London club but there really is just one stand-out option when all is said and done – Chelsea need to sign Alexis Sanchez. The Chilean forward currently playing for Chelsea’s North London rivals Arsenal is just the kind of player Antonio Conte needs. Sanchez is a tireless, passionate, unstoppable performer who never quits and always gives it his all. Plus the forward is a proper goal-scorer and can offer something different to Costa and additionally he is able to play on the flanks if required. The former Barcelona star has become a prolific goal-scorer who has led the Premier League in goals for much of the current campaign and it is becoming increasingly clear that Sanchez wants to join Chelsea as we have reported lately. Again acquiring Alexis Sanchez will not be cheap but at 28 years old he is in his prime and he could push Chelsea into another dimension as he is a proven force in the Premier League so would not be a gamble as other possible striker signings would be. The other benefit to acquiring Sanchez would be significantly weakening a rival in the form of Arsenal but the main benefit would be the addition of a genuine world-class forward who is strong, dynamic, lightning quick with an undeniable love for the beautiful game – qualities which surely resonate with the super passionate Antonio Conte. For a fee of around £60million Sanchez could really be the icing on the cake for Chelsea.

So for an outlay of about £150 million or so Chelsea would be equipped with a wealth of top quality, world-class talent and could be considered favourites to retain the Premier League as well as being genuine contenders for Champions League glory. There will be many rumoured transfers in the months ahead but it will be interesting to see if any of these 3 deals do get done as we think all 3 would add so much to the Chelsea team for many seasons to come.