Chelsea are just a few weeks away from kicking off their new Premier League campaign, and there is plenty of excitement following the arrival of Xabi Alonso. We are likely to see a significant change in how the Blues approach the game this season, and they will be armed with plenty of talent.
The Blues have spent £117million on Morgan Rogers alone, while Marco Palestra has been signed, and it looks like Maxence Lacroix will arrive pretty soon. Alonso is likely to have a very talented squad at his disposal, but who goes into the new season with a point to prove?
Here we take a look, considering the players who are expected to be at the club for the coming season, excluding the likely departures.
Robert Sanchez
Chelsea may yet replace Robert Sanchez, but they haven't yet, and it's likely he will remain as the club's number one for the new season as things stand. Sanchez is capable of big performances and equally capable of a real blunder.
There have been concerns over his lack of consistency for some time now, and it's no secret that Chelsea tried to replace him last summer. The Spaniard is going to have to have a big start to the season to convince Alonso and others.
Filip Jorgensen
Back-up keeper Jorgensen is also going to have to prove himself after a couple of shaky moments. Jorgensen needs to become a more authoratitive figure, and until he shows that confidence, it's unlikely he will be trusted by Chelsea fans. He will have limited opportunities to prove himself, but Jorgensen needs to do just that in the time he has.
Reece James
There is no doubting James' quality. He doesn't have to prove himself as a player, let's get that straight. But Chelsea need James to have a season of full fitness, with no long stretches out with hamstring or quad injuries. It has been a constant battle for the Blues skipper, and he needs to prove to himself and others that he can handle a long season without a significant injury layoff.
Jamie Bynoe-Gittens
Chelsea spent significant cash to sign Gittens last summer, and it's fair to say there have been mixed results so far. The winger dealt with an ill-timed injury last season, and fans were given flashes of his talent, but they need to see more. Gittens has struggled for true consistency so far, and his final product clearly needs some work for him to be a starter.
Gittens is still young, so there is a little less urgency, but he should be pushing for a starting spot, and he is going to have to master consistency and his final product to make that happen. He will be hoping to stay fit and in form this coming season.
Nicolas Jackson
Jackson could yet end up leaving Chelsea, but as things stand, he is likely the number two striker, and until that changes, we have to assume he will play a part. Aston Villa are said to hold serious interest, though, so we will see what comes of that.
If Jackson is to stay, he needs to prove he can be a steady and reliable player, as he was with Bayern Munich for most of last season, coming in and making an impact when Vincent Kompany needed him to, whether it was because Harry Kane was tired or having a very rare off day.
There have been questions over Jackson's discipline, but while he has had some trouble with red cards, you have to take a player's whole career to do a proper analysis of discipline and not just a confined period, when a run of bad luck can certainly play a part.
Either way, Jackson needs to stay away from red cards and be able to fulfil that number two role with efficiency if he does stick around.
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