How Chelsea could line up with Sterling, Ake and Koulibaly

In what initially looked like a difficult start to life under Todd Boehly, Chelsea are now up and running in the transfer window, much to the delight of the fans of the club.

Dormant at first, but the arrival of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City and the potential arrival of his team-mate Nathan Ake, as well as Napoli's Kalidou Koulibaly, have since changed the mood around the Blues.

Just last week, Tuchel said he's trying to rebuild the side in order compete on all fronts next season, but insists he's up for the challenge

"We are rebuilding, not improving the squad," the German tactician told Football London. "We are rebuilding. This is always challenging, but we are up for the challenge.

"I don't know where we are from day one. What I can promise is that I will be here - if I can promise that - I will be here with full energy and positive energy no matter what. We will still work for Chelsea, and I refuse to think of negative scenarios. We will be competitive, on which level we will see."

Major exits in the defence saw centre-backs Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen - leave for Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, while Romelu Lukaku returned to Inter Milan on loan.

The arrival of Sterling and the potential acquisition of both Ake and the Senegalese would help replace the departed stars.

So, here's a look at how Chelsea could line up with these additions.

Koulibaly and Ake will line up either side of Thiago Silva in Chelsea's preferred back three. At Napoli, the Senegalese often play in a back four and will need to adjust quickly, which shouldn't be difficult with the presence of Senegal international team-mate Edouard Mendy in goal behind him.

For Ake, he is one of the few left-footed centre-backs in the Premier League and not many are better than him. However, he only featured in 14 Premier League games last term, but still averaged some of the best passing, carrying and heading statistics per 90 minutes league-wide.

Chelsea's defence was quite strong last season but it is the frontline that they had issues with. Romelu Lukaku, Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner all flattered to deceive throughout the campaign.

Pulisic has been linked with a return to Borussia Dortmund and a transfer to Juventus in recent weeks, while Ziyech is on the brink of securing a season-long loan to AC Milan - provided Chelsea can stump up some of his €6m a season salary.

With Havertz given a chance to hit his prime unhindered, and Mason Mount already operating at an elite level for the Blues, Sterling is the perfect addition to their final third. Despite his lack of minutes last term, he still scored 17 goals and made nine assists in all competitions last season.

These three new additions will definitely improve the Chelsea squad and Thomas Tuchel will be happy about the number of talents available to him this coming season.

 

 

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