FanPost

Chelsea Must Go Big AND Go Home

An anxious crescendo awaits from a summer that has brought equal parts optimism and vexation. A perfect start to the competitive campaign belies transfer difficulties, and one could understand if Chelsea fans seemed a bit ambivalent at the moment. Antonio Conte has brought renewed vigour and verve to the club, but behind the scenes, the powers that be have found it difficult to adequately reinforce the squad to the utmost for the marathon that lies ahead.

Chelsea made a huge coup signing N'Golo Kanté from Leicester, the only one of their three stars to depart this summer. Though with Arsenal linked to the other two that was always a distinct possibility. Kanté's presence has already been felt, as his buzzing all-action style is exactly what a leaky midfield needed. Michy Batshuayi's addition presents the perfect backup striker option: still young with potential, but established enough to be useful right away. And he seems to be fitting in as well. Conventional wisdom dictates that the club are still two big signings away from comfortably staking their claim in the title race.

The improvement thus far is relative, as Chelsea's rivals in the Premier League have strengthened significantly. Our eyes are on Manchester; Jose Mourinho brought with him a plan to reinforce four areas of the pitch, and brought in four starting-calibre players. Including the most coveted young midfielder on the planet. Manchester City's most important signing might not even be a player, as Pep Guardiola is already molding the remnants of Pellegrini's team and waiting for his full complement of summer transfers to be available. He is already getting more out of Raheem Sterling, who is pulling a Willian with Leroy Sané lurking in the background getting fit. New boy Nolito has 5 goals+assists in 5 matches, and despite being tagged with a ban, Agüero could already be in double digit goals if he could somehow convert his penalty kicks. Hell, even Arsenal are signing a centerback. The West London outfit still have work to do.

After an edition of contradictory reports, Marcos Alonso is heading to London for a medical. And in the primary position of need, Nikola Maksimovic seems to be available for a move, after his manager allegedly claimed the player 'dead to him'. A dreamlike scenario would involve a move to Napoli for Maksimovic having a trickle down effect on Koulibaly's availability. But the French-born Senegalese has given up hope for a move this summer. Or Chelsea could cut out the middle man and go for the Serb themselves. David Luiz has also emerged as a candidate for a shock reunion. Without getting too much into the minutia of the oft-discussed defender conundrum, one thing is clear: The club is dangerously short in this portion of the pitch and quality reinforcements are required.

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The Cobham Outlook

Despite the encouraging start, this Chelsea lineup often breeds more questions than it answers. Can Courtois bounce back after a disappointing season? How long can Terry, Cahill, and Ivanovic hold on before more players are brought in? Is Willian productive enough to have a guaranteed starting XI place every week? Is Matic now a lost man? What about Oscar? And is Fàbregas the odd man out under Conte? You get the point.

The club's recent frugality and prospect-farming may have been a boon for balancing the books but it has done little for the injection of quality into a team still trying to recreate the success of years past. A decisive summer of 2014 was not repeated for the title defense and Chelsea are back to square one after a dismal run-out. Chelsea are in need of top quality; a great spine on which to build this team and propel forward. Conte is no stranger to rebuilding teams, overseeing the origin of the new dynasty of Italian giants Juventus. With a few more moves expected to be made (and frankly necessitated due to odd foreign-slot management), here's a look at how Conte's charges currently stand:

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A few loan moves were made official, including Bamford to Burnley, Kenedy to Watford, and importantly, Rémy to Crystal Palace. Cuadrado is reportedly close to a loan back to Juventus, and the only reason he is still listed is because it isn't official yet. Those two moves are necessary to free up the foreign slots needed to bring in defensive reinforcements, especially with the signing of a foreign 3rd keeper who isn't going to see the pitch (assuming he's registered). Van Ginkel is listed but not counted because he is injured and if the Brozovic move comes to fruition, that would take up the last slot (once again, assuming Cuadrado departs). With all of Bamford, Rémy, and Traoré being loaned out, a few questions remain regarding the third striker position. Does Solanke stay and get a chance, encouraging him to sign an extension? Is Loftus-Cheek seriously being considered as a forward even in a one-striker formation? It remains to be seen.

Another situation to be sorted is that of Matt Miazga. The young American now finds himself stuck between two possibilities: Going out on loan to gain experience, or sticking around the first team to add cover to a thin back-line. If ever there was a chance for him this would seem it, and being U21 and not counting on the squad is a big reason why.

Integral Integration

In addition to an uneven squad, this is another reason I expected more of the youngster group of Kenedy, Traore, and Miazga to stick around because they would essentially be 'free depth'. Kenedy may have always been a longshot due to our winger contingent, but conceivably there are spots to be had at backup striker and centerback at the moment. But in the grand scheme of things, if we expect a future at Chelsea for these players soon, then room needs to be made for them in the squad. This also necessitates that they show a big enough impact over a homegrown player to warrant taking up a premium slot. Among the non-English prospects, players like Christensen, Aké, and Musonda have an advantage because they will qualify as homegrown upon turning 21.

On the other side of the same coin, this is why it's important to have top players for starters. When bench guys are taking up several slots, it inherently blocks promising prospects that won't be homegrown. And if the Premier League loses it's Article 19 exemption (movement of young players aged 16 in EU countries) due to Brexit, it will be very hard to have any more situations where players like Christensen, Musonda, Aké, Boga, etc. join the club and qualify as homegrown.

The youth/loanee integration has been a hot button topic for years now. This is no surprise, as it coincides with a wonderful generation of talented youngsters in the Blues' ranks. We are seeing these players begin to bud, and the coming years should bring a steady influx of these players as they mature. Chalobah, Aina, and Loftus-Cheek are already in the first team, and we are seeing other players being fast-tracked for inclusion soon as well (Andreas Christensen in particular). Building a strong core of players supplemented by homegrown players and young prospects is essential to building the foundation of strong teams for years to come. Of course not every player will make it, but there needs to be a concerted effort to give these players the opportunity to grow. And not just elsewhere on loan.

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~Al mio segnale scatenate l'inferno

The next several hours are pivotal to the first chapter in the Conte regime. Will it bring us the last few pieces to complete the puzzle? Or is the defense to make do with rusty components and sub-par configurations? The clock is ticking, and time waits for no man(ager).

Despite minor frustrations this summer, we are still on the verge of what could be a very exciting time for Chelsea fans. But the right decisions and actions must be taken. Conte is a formidable manager, but in order to flourish the board must put faith in him and give him the tools to create his "family". In turn, he must be given time to work with our players, specifically our younger ones and set their course to contribute to the first team.

It is time for Chelsea to go big and go home.

Forza Chelsea

This FanPost was contributed by a member of the community and was not subject to any sort of approval process. It does not necessarily reflect the opinions held by the editors of this site.