Chelsea signing Saul Niguez on transfer deadline day this summer was needed, but it has also certainly complicated the decisions in midfield that Chelsea and Thomas Tuchel will need to make going forward.
There are a lot of inter-changing situations and circumstances that could be sporadic. For example, Jorginho’s agent is constantly talking about his client returning to Italy, so as much as we all want him to stay, there is always this potential situation brewing up, Jorginho perhaps wishing to finish his career in Italy, even if he does sign a new contract with Chelsea.
Then there is the future of Mateo Kovacic, which right now is pretty clear, but he too could end up wanting to try something else, especially if his game time reduces with the arrival of Saul.
N’Golo Kante, the elephant in the room. You cannot ignore how injury prone he has become in recent years, but it’s impossible to see him going anywhere else regardless. However, there is a thought in the back of my mind that perhaps if Chelsea win the league this season, at his age, he might also prefer to go and finish his career in a different county or try a new league while he still can.
These are all speculations, of course.
But then Chelsea will have a decision on to make on whether to sign Saul on a permanent deal or not, depending on how he performs this season.
Then there is Billy Gilmour, a player who Chelsea surely cannot afford to let go, they simply must find a space for him in the squad next season.
Conor Gallagher is another centre midfielder who will be knocking hard on the door, then there is the reliably reported transfer targets for next summer, with centre midfielders still being mentioned high up on the list of priorities.
Declan Rice from West Ham is still reportedly one of those, Aurelien Tchouameni from Monaco is still being monitored, and Jude Bellingham is also a player that the Chelsea hierarchy really like, as I reported in my Newsletter this week here.
You would feel that if Rice came in, then that would be because Tuchel is keen on reverting to a four at the back system using a holding midfielder. But that’s a long way off. Until then, a lot can happen.
Chelsea’s midfield IS starting to age, you must take that into consideration. But how these next couple of seasons play out with the likes of Gilmour, Rice, Bellingham, and Tchoumeni must be managed by Chelsea and could set them up with one of the best young midfields in world football for years to come, whether it includes any current options or not we will have to find out.
