What was interesting about the shopping list that Simon Johnson included in his piece about Antonio Conte’s meeting with Roman Abramovich was that it included a wing back, a centre back, a central midfielder, an attacking midfielder and a striker.
That is every position in Chelsea’s 443 system except a goalkeeper, and as Johnson mentions elsewhere in the article, terms have already been agreed with Willy Caballero for him to come to West London when his Manchester City contract expires this summer.
So this means that the Blues will be looking for an upgrade or depth in every part of the team. It’s a radical overhaul but one that is certainly necessary with European football on the horizon.
A new centre forward seems essential whether Costa leaves or not. An attacking midfielder too, now that Hazard will miss the start of the season. In central midfield Tiemoue Bakayoko will arrive to potentially replace Nemanja Matic.
The need for wing backs is clear, and some would say that two are needed, one to back up Marcos Alonso and one to back up Victor Moses. The Blues have a wealth of centre backs but none that really look ready to replace John Terry.
Whatever happens, it’s going to be an extremely busy summer at Cobham.
