Chelsea's best summer transfer window: Victor Osimhen, Andre Onana, and the Declan Rice deal
Just a few weeks remain until the summer transfer market officially starts, therefore football.london examines a potential ideal window for Chelsea before a vital 2023–24 season.
The focus is very much on the next summer transfer window as Chelsea looks to give Mauricio Pochettino the squad he needs to turn around the team's fortunes as the terrible 2022–23 season comes to a close.
After weeks of negotiations with the team, Pochettino finally reached an agreement to become the next head coach of the Blues. The Argentine, who has been jobless since leaving Paris Saint-Germain last summer, is anticipated in London this week to finalize the agreement that would see him assume control at the end of the current campaign.
The 51-year-old will take over a squad of players who lack confidence after playing for four different managers this season, two of whom were permanent.
Thomas Tuchel was in charge of the campaign when it began, but he was swiftly fired and Graham Potter took over. However, Potter was fired at the beginning of last month, and Bruno Saltor took over for one match before Frank Lampard unexpectedly returned to Stamford Bridge as an interim manager for the remainder of the season.
But Pochettino will take over in time for 2023–24, and by that point, the former Tottenham manager will be hoping he has more or less the roster he wants to try and turn the club into a competitive team once more. This summer's transfer market is expected to be dominated by outgoings, and a handful of players are expected to leave Stamford Bridge.
However, the club has a number of players on its radar. According to football.london, Chelsea's top three summer hiring priorities are a new goalkeeper, a central midfielder, and a striker.
Chelsea is interested in Inter Milan's Andre Onana, who recently stood out in the Italian team's victory against city rival AC Milan in the Champions League semi-final. Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy are the current options for the Blues, but neither has done enough to persuade the board that they will be the team's first-choice goalkeeper in the coming years.
Another choice is Brentford's David Raya, who is anticipated to depart the Bees in the summer. Chelsea also likes Jordan Pickford of Everton, but he hasn't received as much attention lately as the other two.
The Blues have a not-so-short shortlist of candidates, and one of them is a new central midfielder. The team has been actively scouting players like Romeo Lavia, Edson Alvarez, Youssouf Fofana, Manu Kone, and Moises Caicedo this season.
This summer, Declan Rice is a sought-after player, with Arsenal now leading the race to sign him. However, Tuchel-managed Bayern Munich has recently shown interest in the England international as well. Chelsea is still in the running to sign Rice, according to football.london, despite the fact that the Blues cannot guarantee the midfielder any type of European football for the upcoming season.
There are several midfielders at Chelsea that could depart the team in the summer. After four and a half years at Stamford Bridge, Mateo Kovacic may decide to leave the team. Other countries are also interested in players like Conor Gallagher and Mason Mount, and Italy is a fan of Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
Chelsea is also considering options for the central striker position as they try to find a solution to their goal-scoring issues this season. The Blues are seeking for a No. 9 who can step in and produce 15 to 20 goals for them this season after scoring just 36 goals in 35 Premier League games.
That person might be Victor Osimhen. After a sensational campaign for the Nigerian, who helped the Azzurri win their first Italian league title in more than 30 years, the club is considering making a move for the Napoli center-forward in the summer, as football.london reported earlier in the week.
Osimhen, though, is currently one of the most sought-after players in European football and is anticipated to have a plethora of interested parties when the summer transfer window opens. They all almost certainly will have European football to offer the 24-year-old as well, which could be a problem as Chelsea does not.
The fact that Napoli is determined they won't sell Osimhen in the summer is another potential roadblock. A famously harsh negotiator, club president Aurelio De Laurentiis recently claimed he has no plans to sell his star striker at any price, but that could undoubtedly be used as a form of negotiating tool.
Whatever happens during the summer transfer window, Chelsea will undoubtedly have a busy time. Now, that has practically become the standard. You simply have to assume that Chelsea will dominate the headlines when the transfer market opens.
