The Chelsea fans in the Football Transfer Tavern are hoping so…
When Antonio Conte was plucked from Italy by Roman Abramovich, it’s safe to assume the Russian didn’t just have challenging for the top four as his target.
Whilst that would probably be considered a success this season after their disastrous campaign last year, Chelsea’s owner will no doubt be hoping Conte will transforms the current Blues lineup into a squad that can challenge at the top for years to come.
With an ageing squad, particularly in defence, the Italian will hope to have time to rebuild and mould a side more in his own image.
That means shifting out the deadwood and being given the license – and extensive resources – to scour the market for the best talent possible.
In terms of formation, we expect the Italian to stick with the three-man defence he introduced in the 2-0 over Hull a couple of weeks ago.
So without further ado, here’s the Chelsea squad we expect to see in five years time…
GK – GIANLUIGI DONNARUMMA
In goal we have the most promising young goalkeeper since Ikea Casillas.
Despite being only 17, Gianluigi Donnarumma has seemed completely unphased at stepping up between the San Siro sticks and has pulled off a string of impressive performances since his debut at 16.
Standing at 196cm tall, Donnaruma has the frame to match his confidence and looks set to be the world’s best keeper when he finally peaks.
Chelsea fans will be hoping Conte’s status as the most revered Italian manager going will attract the Milan youngster to Stamford Bridge.
CB – KURT ZOUMA
More than once since signing for the Blues, Zouma has looked like being the saviour of the Chelsea defence.
At only 21, Zouma brings some much-needed youth and pace into a creaky backline and has looked more assured than Gary Cahill over the last two seasons.
Unfortunately for the Frenchman, an anterior cruciate ligament injury cut last season short, but he is very close to a comeback.
We expect him to slot straight into the first team when fit and stay there for years to come.
CB – ANDREAS CHRISTENSEN
Considering their troubles at the back in recent time, some Chelsea fans at the Tavern were surprised to see Andreas Christensen go out on loan again.
Despite originally signing a two-year loan deal with Borussia Monchengladbach in 2015, it would have been a drop in the ocean to recall the Dane – or a fraction of the £30m they paid for David Luiz.
Christensen is proven at a top level after winning Monchengladbach’s Player of the Season last year ahead of Arsenal’s Granit Xhaka. We suspect he’ll excel at Chelsea – provided he is given a chance and doesn’t follow Kevin De Bruyne in leaving Stamford Bridge for the Bundesliga.
CB – NATHAN AKE
Nathan Ake is a difficult player to gauge for Chelsea fans.
He did well on his loan spell at Watford last season but doesn’t quite look ready for the starting lineup at Stamford Bridge.
This has seemingly been confirmed this season as the Dutchman has struggle to establish himself at Bournemouth. With Premier League clubs having more money and relying less on loanees, the way forward is to blood youngsters at the parent clubs – exactly what we hope to see here.
RWB – OLA AINA
For a while this season it looked like Ola Tina had done enough to persuade Conte to give him a starting place off the bat.
The 20-year-old impressed in the first-team during pre-season but has yet to start a game as Branislav Ivanovic kept his place.
The defender needs to be patient however, as we are sure to see his pace in the league at some point. Aina’s versatility will make him an asset in long seasons, but we think he’ll make a solid right-back.
LWB – MARCOS ALONSO
Completing the Chelsea defence is summer signing Marcos Alonso.
Here at the Tavern we haven’t really seen enough of Alonso to make a judgement, but Conte is clearly a fan having handed him a first-team place so soon.
Alonso looked tidy against Leicester and wasn’t afraid to raid up the pitch against Hull, peppering the opposition goal with attempts.
That sounds like exactly what Chelsea need and – assuming he keeps up this level consistently – we’ll be seeing a lot more of the 25-year-old.
CM – N’GOLO KANTE
N’Golo Kante established himself as the man who never stops running as he helped Leicester City to the title last season.
Conte will need his dynamism and work-rate to cover the middle of the park if he sticks with this formation.
A hybrid between a midfield anchor and box-to-box player, Kante makes a two-man midfield seem like three with the amount of ground he covers and at the rate he recovers the ball.
Barring a big-money move to the likes of Real Madrid or Paris St Germain, we expect him to own the middle third of Stamford Bridge for a while yet.
CM – LEWIS BAKER
While Lewis Baker is still a little way off the first-team as things stand, we think he’ll have emerged as their playmaker of choice by the 2021/22 season.
Chelsea have been screaming for a young Englishmen to dictate games ever since they let Frank Lampard leave in 2014.
While they have persevered with Ruben Loftus-Cheek, he just doesn’t seem to have enough about him to take up the role.
Baker, on the other hand, has looked good from a young age, scoring four goals in eight games for the England Under-21s and establishing himself on loan at Vitesse over the last two seasons.
RF – BERTRAND TRAORE
After impressing in cameos last year, Bertrand Traore has been unlucky with the stiff competition he has faced this year.
With Conte playing one up-front, it looks to be a straight shootout between Diego Costa and Michy Batshuayi for the lone berth.
Costa is in fine form at the moment, while the Blues seem to have his natural heir out on loan (more on that later).
Luckily for Chelsea, Traore is quick and powerful and may well be perfect in a wider role cutting inside.
LF – EDEN HAZARD
This one is a point of contention, with Chelsea fans not really knowing which Eden Hazard will turn up from game to game.
After winning the PFA Player of the Year in 2014/15, Hazard looked set to reach new heights and challenge the likes of Ronaldo and Messi as the world’s best player.
Since then his form has been patchy at best, but we’re backing the Belgian to regain his best form and hold his place as Chelsea’s prime creator from the left.
If not, there’s always his brother…
ST – TAMMY ABRAHAM
The final man on our list is one who is generating great excitement at the Tavern, Tammy Abraham.
Abraham is currently on loan in the Championship at Bristol City and has excelled with eight goals in ten starts, making him the top scorer.
He also managed to impress on his under-21s debut, bagging a brace against Bosnia.
The 19-year-old is extremely quick off the mark but also strong enough to hold up the ball, making him the perfect replacement for Diego Costa.
