Ex-Chelsea player and manager Ruud Gullit has called on the Blues to recruit a midfield general this summer.
Speaking about the transfer priorities for his former club, Gullit told TEAMtalk that they need a player who can control the game in the middle of the park:
“Chelsea are a little bit too frantic for my liking. There’s no player or leader of reference in that team who gives them a little bit of peace or holds the ball without giving it away – that’s something that they lack a little bit. It’s all too nervous on the pitch when they play.”
“You don’t always need to attack when you have the ball. Sometimes you can lure the opposition out of position and then punish them, but they don’t have that patience or willingness to hold the ball. It’s as if they’re always playing at 100 miles an hour. It’s too much, in my opinion.”
A midfielder is set to be targeted this summer
It appears that co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart have had the same idea as Gullit.
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The Telegraph journalist Matt Law reported back in mid-December that a summer bid for a new midfielder to alleviate the burden on Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo is on the cards.
Who could Chelsea target for the position?
A couple of names who have been linked with a move to Stamford Bridge could fit the bill – Crystal Palace’s Adam Wharton and Newcastle’s Sandro Tonali.
Both are within the club’s age limit for new signings, with Wharton having just turned 22 while Tonali is 25 years of age.
Neither would be cheap, though, and there will be fierce competition for the pair, with Manchester United and Manchester City said to be keen on Wharton, while Arsenal are eyeing Tonali.
Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here