Chelsea Makeover Part II: A Regime Change at Midfield

When does a system a manager is implementing become obsolete? Is it when that club is trying to transition from being in need of rescue to title contender? Or is it evident when the players at your disposal require a different system in order to succeed? Personally, I think it’s both. And I think Thomas Tuchel must embrace that.

Midfield is a simple business. One that requires balance but an emphasis on strength can not be underestimated. Chelsea’s midfield has lacked strength since Nemaja Matic left the club for the second time in 2017 and it looks like the club is not going to buy a defensive midfielder this window despite desperately needing one.

But it’s not just about strength in the midfield. It’s about knowing when a new era in its entirety is ready to break through. It’s about embracing change and trusting younger players.

The future of Chelsea’s midfield is here. Well… most of it is. If the club is to transition and take that new step and embrace a rebuild, this is what I think that would look like.

Make Some Money… Before You Can’t

As the new era starts in midfield, you’d first need to sell and I genuinely believe that selling both Jorginho and N’golo Kante would be a sound move.

Both Jorginho and Kante both have a year left on their deals so trying to cash in before they leave for free would be wise.

For Jorginho, let me be clear in saying that I absolutely love the player. A great leader, a great human, a tempo-creator, and an excellent passer of the ball.

That being said, he’s just not good enough defensively. He’s quite slow and isn’t very physical. If Boehly could get around $25 million for him that would be excellent. I think Jorgi has a lot left in the tank, but I think all roads point back to Italy where he could play out his days for a team like Juventus or Lazio or perhaps his former club, Napoli.

As for Kanté, this one is super hard. A player that’s won everything under the sun, is the best at what he does, and such a like-able individual. He’s hands down one of my favorite players. That being said, injury woes plagued his prior season at Chelsea and it looks like it’s time to cash in.

N’golo Kanté

A similar price-tag to Jorginho would be sound and I doubt that there wouldn't be buyers for such a talented player. I’d love Chelsea to hang onto Kanté, but keeping him at the club during a rebuild just doesn’t add up. He’s 31 is ideally a piece you’d like to add if your midfield is already incredibly strong, like Manchester City’s or Real Madrid. It hurts but I feel like that is best for both parties.

With two of Chelsea’s veteran midfielders out of the picture, what would our midfield look like going forward?

The Spine

It’s time to stop throwing Ethan Ampadu to the wolves. After a solid loan-spell at RB Leipzig for the 2019-20 season when he was just 18 years old, the club let him down. Two more loan-spells followed. The first was at relegation-side Sheffield United and the second was at yet another relegation side, this time in Italy, at Venezia.

Both clubs were lucky to have him and despite being part of two woeful sides, he stood out.

After selling Jorginho, Chelsea would be in a position to promote Ampadu to the senior squad where he could slot in at defensive midfielder. This simple move could change Chelsea overnight. Here’s what I think a true defensive midfielder in the lineup unlocks:

Ethan Ampadu on loan at Venezia last season

• A transition from a back-five to a back-four

• Mount in his natural position

• An additional attacker in the lineup

With Ampadu at CDM, Tuchel can breath and play a back-four but the biggest plus is that Mount can drop deeper.

I don’t think I can stress how huge that is. Mount is Chelsea’s best attacking player but he’s best when dropping deep to receive the ball as he then makes things happen whether it’s releasing wingers or carrying the ball himself and drawing players before releasing the ball. He’s also excellent at making late runs into the box and scoring in such situations.

Another positive of having a proper DM on the pitch would be that Tuchel could play with two number eights in front of Ampadu. Both Mateo Kovacic and Mount could play there with Mount in a hybrid eight/ten role. I actually think that’s a madness and something I really want to see.

Despite Ampadu being the skeleton key, you’d need to bring in another DM as well considering Ampadu would be the only one DM on the roster. I know Trevor Chalobah can play there but I’d rather have him play at center-back.

That being said, the club would need to target a young defensive midfielder to compete with Ampadu for minutes and my choice would be Khéphram Thruam of OG Nice. At just 21 years of age Thuram has 79 Ligue 1 appearances and was a key piece for Christophe Galtier’s Nice last season which secured a fifth place finish as well as a Coupe De France Final appearance.

Khéphren Thuram in action at Nice

Thuram is an excellent ball playing and ball winning CDM at just 21 years of age. With Thuram in the ranks, CDM is sorted for the season for Chelsea and you’re not breaking the bank.

As for Depth…

It’s a bit crazy that depth is already sorted.

In my opinion, the answer is simple. Hanging onto Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a no-brainer and considering his triumph last year as he practically resurrected his Chelsea career from the ground up, I think it woud be mad to do anything but reward him. Plus he would finally be able to slot in at his natural position as an eight rather than a holding midfielder or wing-back. It’s hard to believe he’s only 26 and alongside Mount or Kovacic in his natural position with DM cover behind him, he could be incredible.

The last piece of the puzzle would be Conor Gallagher. The 22 year-old midfielder is the perfect player to cap-off your midfield overhaul. After an excellent loan-spell at Crystal Palace last season, it’s quite evident that Gallagher is ready for first-team minutes. Gallagher offers you something different as well considering he’s an excellent number eight that is skilled in crashing the box late and scoring from those opportunities. His defensive attributes can’t be underestimated as well as he seemingly pulls from an endless pool of energy disrupting opposition all over the center of the park.

Connor Gallagher on loan at Crystal Palace last season

Before you Go

Lastly, the club needs to be smart with Billy Gilmour. Chelsea shouldn’t loan him to another dreadful side like Norwich. He deserves better. That being said, I don’t think the club should sell him either. Gilmour is an incredible player but I can’t shake the feeling that he needs one more loan move. That being said, I think we should loan him to Everton.

Now I know that a lot of people think Lampard’s Everton are destined for a dreadful season but I don’t think that is the case. They surely aren’t geared up for an excellent one, but a mid-table finish would be my prediction.

At Everton, Gilmour would have a chance to reunite with the manager that gave him his initial first team minutes (where he shined when called upon) and play in a side that isn’t great but is much better than the Norwich side that he was part of last season.

This way, Tuchel and the club could assess him over the course of a season and if RLC or Gallagher perform poorly, Gilmour could step in.

All in all, a loan move for Gimour seems like the best course of action for the club. Just do him right and don’t loan him to a dreadful side like you did last season.

Ross Barkley (left) and Billy Gilmour (Right)

There you Have It

My proposed midfield makeover at Chelsea is actually quite simple. Selling two veteran but aging players, and replacing them with what I think would be a great signing from Ligue 1, and a handful of players from within. Tuchel would have the right profiles as well as the depth you need at central midfield to navigate a jam-packed Premier League season. And to cap it off, Tuchel would benefit greatly from playing Mount in his natural position while pushing another attacker onto the pitch.

Of course such changes are not happening this summer as the club has had little to no interest in pursuing a defensive midfielder, switching from a back-five to a back-four, or selling Jorgino or Kanté.

Plus, such a change would require Tuchel to switch his footballing philosophy overnight. Leaving behind a possession dominant system to one built on swift and fast attacking football.

As a fan, I can dream of what I’d love Chelsea to look and play like as we all should.

If one thing is for sure, I’m so excited that the season is right around the corner and as always, Up the Blues!

Last piece analyzing the attack will be out soon.