How Potter and Boehly can make Chelsea title contenders again

It’s safe to say it’s been a turbulent first season in charge for Graham Potter at Chelsea. Having replaced Thomas Tuchel in the Stamford Bridge hot-seat in early September 2022, Potter arrived with great expectation. The 47-year-old had worked wonders at Brighton, turning them into European contenders, unearthing young talents and playing eye-catching football. He seemed like the ideal man to spearhead Chelsea’s new vision under owner Todd Boehly.

However, after a brief positive start, Potter’s tenure at Stamford Bridge quickly turned into a nightmare. The Blues struggled for consistent form and ironically, the wheels really fell off following a disastrous return to the Amex Stadium in late October. A 4-1 defeat to Brighton was followed by defeats to Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle United and Aston Villa which saw Chelsea drop down the Premier League table.

Their performances got worse after the restart of domestic football in late December following the Qatar World Cup. Chelsea were thrashed 4-0 by Man City in the FA Cup and tasted painful defeats in the league to Fulham, City, Southampton and Tottenham. In fact, Chelsea have won just three of their 13 Premier League games so far in 2023 and languish down in 10th place in the table.

Understandably, there have been growing calls from supporters for Potter to be sacked. Especially from those who own Chelsea tickets and pay good money to watch their team. The standard of football has been poor and the Stamford Bridge faithful aren’t used to seeing their team struggling to beat bottom-club Southampton on home soil. Chelsea are a club who’ve won numerous titles over the past 20 years and lifted the Champions League just two years ago, so it’s a huge shock to see them down in mid-table.

There is virtually no chance Chelsea will finish in the top four so they won’t be playing Champions League football next season. They are even struggling to qualify for any sort of European football at all. However, despite this, the clubs hierarchy appears to be fully behind Potter and understand this is a long process to turn Chelsea into one of the most formidable teams in the world. Boehly has already invested over £550m into the squad over the past two windows, but it’s expected to be another busy summer of transfer activity at the Bridge this summer. Chelsea will be targeting more big-money signings, but they also need to sell some dead wood to help balance the books. Here are some of the players who could leave, and potential targets for Potter:

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Mason Mount: The talented midfielder has been an important part of Chelsea’s first team since breaking into the squad. However, he has just one year left on his contract this summer and is showing no indication he’ll sign an extension. With Liverpool keeping a close eye on the situation, Chelsea may be forced to cash-in to stop Mount walking away for free in 2024.

Conor Gallagher: After impressing while on loan at Crystal Palace last season, many felt Gallagher would push on to stake his claim for a first team place at Chelsea. However, he’s struggled to make the break through and has started just a handful of games. With several Premier League clubs interested, Gallagher may be sold this summer.

Hakim Ziyech: The Moroccan winger has failed to replicate the kind of scintillating form he produced at Ajax that persuaded Chelsea to fork out around £30m for his signature in 2020. Ziyech is yet to find the back of the net this season and looks guaranteed for a move at the end of the campaign.

Christian Pulisic: Another promising attacker who has lost his way, Pulisic is expected to depart West London this summer. The USA international arrived from Dortmund under much fan-fair, but has failed to live up to expectations. With Chelsea expected to be in the market for attacking reinforcements this summer, Pulisic will be sacrificed to raise funds.

Edouard Mendy: The Senegal international was seen as a key player last season, but has lost his place since Potter’s arrival and is now refusing to sign a new contract. Chelsea will need to sell this summer as Potter looks to bring in a goalkeeper he feels is more suited to his style of football.

Mateo Kovacic: The Blues are still hoping to agree a new contract with the Croatian, but with just over a year left on his deal, they may be forced to sell if an extension isn’t signed soon. Several European clubs are keen on signing Kovacic if he does leave Stamford Bridge.

Ben Chilwell: A surprise name who could be sold is Chilwell. The left-back forged a reputation as one of the best young full-backs in Europe during an impressive spell at Leicester City and it was a major coup for Chelsea when they won the race for his signature. However, a series of injuries have hampered his progress in recent years and reports suggest the Blues may cash-in with a £70m move to Man City mooted.

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Victor Osimhen: With several fringe players off the books, Chelsea will have room to target a few big-money signings and the priority will be a marquee striker. Osimhen has emerged as a prime target and it’s easy to see why Chelsea want the Nigerian international. He has been hugely impressive since joining Napoli from Lille in 2020 and has scored 25 goals in 29 games this season to help fire the club to a likely Serie A title.

Chelsea have reportedly made Osimhen their No.1 striker target for the summer, but they’ll face stiff competition from Manchester United. The Red Devils are also in the market for a striker and have Osimhen on their list along with Harry Kane. Whoever ends up buying the 24-year-old will need to have deep pockets as he comes with a reported price-tag of over £130m.

Manu Kone: Chelsea are likely to be in the market for a midfielder and are favourites to sign Borussia Monchengladbach’s Manu Kone. The box-to-box midfielder has been excellent in the Bundesliga and his all-action style would be well-suited to the Premier League.

Robert Sanchez: If Mendy leaves, Chelsea need a new goalkeeper and Potter is eyeing a reunion with Robert Sanchez – who he worked with at Brighton. The 25-year-old is experienced in England and would be a solid addition.

Raphael Leao: With Pulisic and Ziyech expected to depart, the Blues will be in the market for an attacker and they’re eyeing a move for Leao. The Portuguese international has forged a reputation as one of the best forwards in Serie A having starred for AC Milan. But his future is in doubt and Chelsea could snap him up for around £60m.

If Potter and Boehly can offload their dead wood and bring in the likes of Osimhen, Kone and Leao to compliment an already talented squad, then we could see Chelsea become title contenders again in the not to distant future.