It’s set to be all change in west London this summer and the Chelsea fans in the Transfer Tavern are gearing themselves up for wholesale alterations to their side, not least in the form of a new manager.
Guus Hiddink’s temporary role in charge will be exactly that and Chelsea are looking for a long-term successor to the ill-fated Jose Mourinho, who lost his job back in December amid poor results and vast controversies on and off the field.
The latest reports make for good reading for Chelsea punters though, as it’s stated Antonio Conte is in-line for the job and he’s keen to bring Arturo Vidal with him, reuniting with the Chilean he managed during the duo’s time at Juventus.
Those reports have really got the excitement levels in the bar rising and Chelsea fans genuinely believe that vast improvements will be made next season, whilst they’ve identified these five targets as potential arrivals when the window opens once again.
Hit Vidal below to see FIVE players who could follow him and Conte to Chelsea!
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Radja Nainggolan
The Roma midfielder has been touted as a candidate to improve the Chelsea midfield, presenting a more realistic target than that of Juventus Paul Pogba- who would attract the biggest sides in Europe, should his signature become available.
At 27-years-old, Nainggolan has the experience to settle quickly into life at Stamford Bridge and with the Belgian not getting any younger, he’d likely jump at the chance to move to a side that has more chance of winning honours- despite the fact he may have to give up Champions League football to get the move.
Paulo Dybala
With Chelsea setting their eyes on forwards amid a planned reshuffle to their forward line, Juventus striker Paulo Dybala is a top-target and the 22-year-old would be keen to work with Antonio Conte, who he’s undoubtably heard good things about from his team-mates in Turin.
At 22-years-old, Dybala is in a critical stage of his development but he possesses the ability to shine and become a star for Chelsea and Argentina. The Blues would have to pay a reasonable sum for his services but they should be able to reap the rewards.
Edinson Cavani
The veteran Uruguayan forward has enjoyed years of success with Paris Saint-Germain but he’s never quite been happy, as he’s constantly found himself shifted out wide to accommodate Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This summer, Cavani will be on the move and the Premier League is a likely destination.
Cavani will want assurances of a central role, which Chelsea can offer, and the funds Chelsea can give him are significantly more than what he would get if he returned to Italian football. On top of that, he’d join a side much more capable of giving him further success.
John Stones
The saga of last summer was Chelsea’s very public, and ultimately very unsuccessful, pursuit of Everton defender John Stones. One-year later, Chelsea’s pursuit continues but the Blues are likely to find a lot of competition in the market.
Chelsea’s advantage though is the offer of first-team football, with John Terry set to leave and Gary Cahill potentially following. Playing alongside Kurt Zouma, Stones would be one-half of a solid, exciting and very young defensive partnership that has the ability to dominate English football for years.
Leroy Sane
Chelsea, like many other English clubs, are keen to land Schalke’s wonder-kid Leroy Sane but, like Stones, the key in a potential move could come down to chances in the first-team. Whilst Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool are all linked with his signature, Chelsea have a spot for him in the team.
If Eden Hazard does get his move to Real Madrid, then Chelsea would see Sane as the ideal replacement. He’s very young, and in some aspects very raw, but he has the ability to succeed and is financially appealing to the club too as he presents tremendous resale value.
