Chelsea entered the summer window with several key areas needing to be addressed. The goalkeeping position was uncertain, more leadership was required at the back, depth in midfield was a necessity, more goals had to come from the wingers, and at least one new striker was to be signed.
By the time the Club World Cup started last week, at least three of those had been partially resolved. Djordje Petrovic's choice to pursue a definite No.1 spot away from Stamford Bridge instead of battling it out with Robert Sanchez and perhaps yet another keeper meant that, for now, Chelsea have some form of stability in goal. Whether or not it is adequate for a side looking to push on is another matter.
The return of Andrey Santos from loan, mixed with Dario Essugo's arrival from Sporting CP (via Las Palmas), sorted the midfield. Liam Delap's relegation clause was quickly triggered after Champions League qualification had been secured and the Conference League was in the bag.
So, what is left for the rest of the window is a centre-back, although that is not as much of a priority given the other options available to Enzo Maresca, and certainly one winger, but maybe two. It cannot be ruled out that another striker comes in, either.
Chelsea will still be busy until September 1 and the final deadline but they have ticked off some key points for the window already. The centre of attention is now on which right-footed left-winger they get in, and whether more than one is found.
There is an extensive shortlist available which includes, in no particular order, Joao Pedro, Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Malick Fofana, and Mohammed Kudus. Morgan Rogers and Eberechi Eze have also been touted.
Gittens is the one taking up most of the recruitment team's time. He has already been the subject of two bids before the Club World Cup, worth £29million and £42million. Chelsea are expected to go back in for the 20-year-old with talking continuing over a transfer.
Borussia Dortmund are holding out for £50million despite the Englishman agreeing personal terms with Chelsea on a seven-year contract. The direction of travel suggests that Gittens will eventually become a Chelsea player as a replacement for Jadon Sancho is sought.
Mykhailo Mudryk's future is also murky after he was charged by the FA with doping offences. That leaves Chelsea two left-side dominant players down on the squad that started last season. Add in Joao Felix's January departure, his own time at SW6 surely being over, and the likelihood of Christopher Nkunku going too, and Chelsea are desperately short in this area of the pitch.
Noni Madueke has filled in there in recent months but after a bright spark, his overall effectiveness has declined. Pedro Neto is now the favoured right-winger and he is steadily improving his output from the position.
Tyrique George plays on the left but remains in his developmental phase, although he is more and more comfortable in the senior environment. Nicolas Jackson can operate there and was primarily a wide man before joining Chelsea, but hasn't played the role much since leaving Villarreal.
This is why so much of the early window search has been on the left wing role and why things are advancing with Gittens. If he does come in then it will leave Madueke in a precarious position.
Noise around the 23-year-old has been increasingly negative of late with a drop in performance levels and contribution to the team. It is suggested that Chelsea will listen to offers for him, especially with Estevao Willian coming in to add competition on the right.
He could end up costing Chelsea £51million but only £29million of that is tied down. If he lives up to the hype then it will be a bargain transfer either way, and that begins to make the right side appear overcrowded.
Estevao will need plenty of time to adapt, and expectations on him should be kept to a minimum inside the first 12 months, if not more. However, looking beyond that and Chelsea will be planning for him to take over before long, even if he has just turned 18.
Chelsea's Estevao Willian impressed for Palmeiras against Porto in the Club World Cup
Chelsea's Estevao Willian impressed for Palmeiras against Porto in the Club World Cup (Image: (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images))
It leaves Gittens on the left and Neto on the right, for now, with Jackson the main No.9. Delap may well be the new toy but he will have to overcome Jackson as a source of regular goals and general build-up play if he is to replace the Senegalese striker.
Simply having the pair available to provide 90 minutes of energy up front is more than can be said of Chelsea across the past two years with Jackson starting to burn out. He has been left to do the running for two strikers throughout his time at Chelsea, which might explain his 2025 struggles, or some of them.
There is a reason Chelsea are not done with the centre-forward market, though. If there is any indication that Hugo Ekitike can be acquired for less than his £84.5million valuation at Eintracht Frankfurt then Chelsea will be all over it. They are big admirers of the player but will not pay the asking price.
Then there is Victor Osimhen and Viktor Gyokeres. Both boast incredible scoring records which speak for themselves but are huge money signings with risk involved. That is not the sort of deal Chelsea have been going after in recent seasons.
After spending £30million on Delap, it would not be a shock to see Chelsea return to the market for another striker but it would if the cost does not come down.
Add in the £50million Gittens valuation and £51million it took to get Neto last year, this is a potential £131million front three. Cole Palmer will play behind them and cost £45million himself, taking it up to £176million. For that, Chelsea will need to be top four contenders and much more, otherwise people will question the logic behind the investment.
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