Graham Potter’s Chelsea squad depth revealed after £300m January transfer blitz

After spending over £300million in the January transfer window, Chelsea now have one of the most attractive squads in the Premier League and football.london takes a look at it.

It took an eternity, but we got there in the end. The January transfer window is now over and Chelsea have brought in eight new players as Todd Boehly continues his rebuild of the club he purchased last year.

Graham Potter has been heavily backed in his first transfer window at the club with eight players – all 23-years-old or younger – added to Chelsea’s ranks. Many of the recruits have been signed with a clear eye on the future, while the majority of the players will go straight into Potter’s squad and improve his options.

It’s a big second half of the season for Chelsea now. The club are currently sitting down in 10th place in the Premier League table, 10 points below the Champions League places. Getting a place in the top four does look unrealistic right now, but will the Blues be able to make a late surge? When you look at their squad depth now.

Goalkeepers

The goalkeeper situation has remained the same. Kepa Arrizabalaga, who has been Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper for a while now, is the man who you would expect to start against Fulham.

Edouard Mendy remains sidelined with a finger injury and there is no set timescale that the Senegal international will return to action. This means Marcus Bettinelli has been Potter’s back-up option to Kepa in recent games. Summer signing Gabriel Slonina is also available.

Goalkeeper options: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Edouard Mendy, Marcus Bettinelli, Gabriel Slonina.

Defenders

Benoit Badiashile has been signed from Monaco and already the 21-year-old is looking the part for Chelsea. The Frenchman has started the Blues’ last two Premier League games against Crystal Palace and Liverpool, where he has played a big part in helping his side keep consecutive clean sheets – a rarity in recent times.

Badiashile looks to be one of Potter’s go-to central defenders now following his recent form. Potter also has the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly, Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva and Wesley Fofana to choose from. However, Fofana is still recovering from an injury, although his return isn’t too far away now.

At right-back, Reece James has recently returned to Chelsea training and is expected to be involved against Fulham on Friday. James has struggled with injury problems over the last couple of seasons; something that forced Chelsea into the transfer market last month.

The Blues completed the signing of young Lyon full-back Malo Gusto, but the French club wanted him back on a loan deal until the end of the season. So it does leave Chelsea a tad short at right-back for covering James, but they do have Cesar Azpilicueta and Chalobah, who is naturally a centre-back but has done a stellar job on the right-hand side as well.

Left-back isn’t an issue. Potter has Ben Chilwell, who is set to return against Fulham this week after a long-term injury. Marc Cucurella and Lewis Hall are also options for Chelsea, who are quite well off on the left side of defence.

Defensive options: Wesley Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Kalidou Koulibaly, Trevoh Chalobah, Thiago Silva, Marc Cucurella, Ben Chilwell, Lewis Hall, Reece James, Cesar Azpilicueta.

Midfielders

Welcome, Enzo Fernandez. The Argentine midfielder was the man Chelsea supporters from all over the world were desperate to sign all month-long. Finally, in the final hours of deadline day, Chelsea and Benfica struck a deal.

Fernandez will come into the Chelsea squad and undoubtedly improve Potter’s options. He is now the man the Blues should be looking to build the rest of the team around – he is that good.

So, the 22-year-old comes into the squad, but out goes Jorginho, who has joined Arsenal. That leaves Chelsea effectively as they were in terms of numbers to play in the middle.

Denis Zakaria and N’Golo Kante are both sidelined through injuries, meaning Potter can call upon six midfielders between now and the end of the season. Andrey Santos, who was signed last month from Vasco da Gama, is currently playing for Brazil Under-20s at the U20 COMNEBOL Championship, where he is shining for his country, but he could be integrated into the first-team when he arrives at Cobham.

Carney Chukwuemeka, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Conor Gallagher and Mateo Kovacic are other options for Potter to choose from for his midfield. Mason Mount has shown he can also play in a midfield three if required.

 

Midfield options: Enzo Fernandez, Carney Chukwuemeka, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Conor Gallagher, Andrey Santos, Denis Zakaria, N’Golo Kante.

Attackers

Chelsea signed four attacking players over the January transfer window. David Datro Fofana was the first, then followed Joao Felix on loan, with Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke both arriving in quick succession.

There was talk of Fofana being loaned out last month, but nothing ever materialised. The 20-year-old has only played once for the Blues since signing over a month ago but he could be handed more and more opportunities by Potter as the season progresses.

Meanwhile, Felix, who will serve the final game of his three-match suspension against Fulham, has only been signed on a six-month loan deal so he is expected to play a crucial role for Chelsea for the rest of the term. Mudryk and Madueke were both signed for big money so those two could become Chelsea’s go-to wingers for the next few months.

Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang remains an option for Chelsea, but Potter hasn’t fancied the Gabonese striker in recent matches. Kai Havertz has been Chelsea’s first-choice No.9 this season, despite receiving some criticism. The German has looked good in the Blues’ last two matches against Crystal Palace and then Liverpool.

Hakim Ziyech’s loan move to Paris Saint-Germain on deadline day collapsed, so he remains an option. Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling are both recovering from injuries, while Armando Broja is sidelined for the remainder of the season.

Attacking options: Mason Mount, Kai Havertz, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Noni Madueke, Joao Felix, Armando Broja, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, David Datro Fofana.

source: football.london