With the 2021/22 season now over and the transfer window upon us, Chelsea’s summer transfer plans can now get underway following the £4.25bn takeover of the club by the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital.
Several names have already been linked with Chelsea, most notably Jules Kounde who is expected to make the switch to Stamford Bridge this summer. But there have been widespread reports linking Barcelona winger Ousmane Dembele to the club which could see him be reunited Thomas Tuchel, who enjoyed a successful time at for Borussia Dortmund together.
His contract expires at the end of June and Dembele is yet to make a decision over his future. Does he stick with the Camp Nou, or twist and depart to another side in, likely, Europe?
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It’s highly unlikely that both Tuchel and Dembele changed their contact details, and after being so heavily linked with a reunion back in January, those talks could resume once again.
Since parting ways with each other back in 2017, Dembele has gone on to win the World Cup with France, while Tuchel has won the Champions League trophy. But last season didn’t go according to plan for both parties with Dembele spending most of his time in the doctor’s office, while Chelsea failed to challenge for the title and had issues with finding the net among their star-studded attack.
With the Frenchman available on a free transfer, it makes sense for the Blues to get the ball rolling and strike a deal, which would go down as one of the first major signings of the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital era. Dembele enjoyed a successful spell under Tuchel in Dortmund, which arguably goes down as his best season to date, being involved in 31 goals in 49 appearances.
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His versatility and prowess to use both his feet is something that will be useful at Chelsea, while Dembele also has a knack of taking on defenders as opposed to looking for the early pass, something reminiscent of when Eden Hazard and Pedro were down the flanks for Chelsea.
Chelsea have lacked goals up front with Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz all failing to sustain prolific numbers in the number nine role. All those players came to the club with a hefty fee and massive weight on their shoulders. On a free and off the back of an injury-hit season, Dembele will have a point to prove rather than justifying a price tag of some sort.
New faces and fresh ideas are clearly needed in attack for Chelsea, while it could also bring new life to Christian Pulisic, who thrived in a fearsome attack at Dortmund as well alongside Dembele. The pieces are slowly putting themselves together and with the signing of the 25-year-old, Chelsea could continue to try to close the gap on both Liverpool and Manchester City and compete for silverware after losing out in two finals to the Reds.
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He has been enjoying his time off travelling to various continents and watching football all over the world, so an early deal ahead of a full pre-season with Chelsea would only be of benefit to both parties.
Featured Image Credit: Action Plus Sports Images / AlamyTopics: Chelsea, Ousmane Dembele, Thomas Tuchel