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Chelsea are yet to make any signings for head coach Thomas Tuchel this summer, and although patience is most certainly needed, additions are going to be needed in the next couple of weeks.
Tuchel and co are shortly due back at their Cobham training base for the beginning of pre-season and he will, as it stands, not be meeting any new arrivals.
Co-owner Todd Boehly has promised the German up to six signings in the summer transfer window to help his rebuild of the squad, with the defence and attack prioritised.
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"We really want to make sure we have a good defence. We've got depth in midfield. We're not desperate for an out-and-out striker,” a source told The Telegraph in June.
"I think it's a combination of moves and there's five or six that we're going to look to make.”
Chelsea have been exploring their options which has seen them draw up several names for the defensive and attacking roles.
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Matthijs de Ligt, Jules Kounde, Nathan Ake are among names the Blues are interested in for the backline, while Raphinha, Raheem Sterling and Ousmane Dembele have been eyed in attack, with Richarlison set to join Tottenham Hotspur despite a late enquiry from the west London outfit.
Although ongoing, simultaneous talks are currently taking place, Boehly and Tuchel are yet to land their first signing of the summer.
None of Chelsea’s business can be judged until the end of the window, even though it might come as a frustration, but time is of the essence to the Blues ahead of pre-season and the opening day of the season on Saturday 6th August against Everton at Goodison Park.
Tuchel didn’t get pre-season with Romelu Lukaku, who has returned to Inter Milan on loan after just one season, and potentially paid the price for a late deal for the Belgian.
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Chelsea head across the Atlantic in mid-July for their tour of America which starts on 16 July against Club America and finishes a week later against Arsenal in Orlando, Florida.
Boehly is known for wanting to get deals over the line as soon as possible, and if Tuchel is to have the best chance of gelling the squad for the start of the season, he will want and need those arrivals before they jet off to the US.
There will be some familiarity for the new signings no doubt, with international teammates likely to already be at Cobham, but Tuchel needs to get to grips with them on the pitch to decide where he sees them best fitted in the team and how he is going to utilise them.
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The longer the window drags on without any signings, the harder it will become for Tuchel and he will be under pressure to have instant success, which isn’t always easy to come by.
Chelsea are in a rebuilding and restructuring phase. Things will take time, that has been seen already, with other issues taking priority
Now the transfer window, led by interim sporting director Boehly, is at the forefront of the agenda and it’s now time for Chelsea to accelerate negotiations to get transfers over the line to give Tuchel some new faces to meet in the coming days and weeks.
But once those signings do arrive, the pressure is on Tuchel. He would've got the backing he so deeply craved, now he has to deliver on the new owners' faith.
Featured Image Credit: AlamyTopics: Thomas Tuchel, Todd Boehly, Chelsea, Premier League, Football
