MY ACCOUNT
A new era is underway at Chelsea where Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have taken control of the club after 19 trophy-laden years under Roman Abramovich.
After a chaotic end to the 2021-22 campaign, Thomas Tuchel will be relishing some certainty going forward as he attempts to land the Blues’ first Premier League title since 2017.
These are exciting times at Stamford Bridge as a new chapter in Chelsea’s history begins.
Last season: Third
The 2021-22 season started with much promise. Club-record signing Romelu Lukaku scored on his debut in a dominant win against Arsenal and followed that with a brace against Aston Villa.
Just one defeat in their first 14 league games had Chelsea top of the league. But Lukaku struggled to build on his electric start and gave an ill-advised and poorly timed interview in December, outlining his unhappiness and desire to rejoin Inter Milan.
The Blues’ form suffered and they won just twice in the league between December 1 and January 23, slipping out of the title race to finish 19 points behind champions Manchester City.
Elsewhere, Chelsea lost both domestic cup finals to Liverpool on penalties and were knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals by Real Madrid in a dramatic encounter.
Silverware was secured in the Club World Cup though as the Blues beat Brazilian side Palmeiras in extra-time to lift the trophy for the first time.
New faces
The Boehly tenure began with a splash as Chelsea paid champions Manchester City £47.5million to bring Raheem Sterling to Stamford Bridge.
Despite hitting 78 Premier League goals in the last five seasons, the 27-year-old had fallen out of favour under Pep Guardiola and was entering the final 12 months of his contract.
Following that deal was the £33m arrival of Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly, 31.
With Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger joining Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, defensive reinforcements had been the order of the day — and remain so ahead of the transfer window closing on September 1.
Potential line-up
3-4-2-1: Mendy; Azpilicueta, Silva, Koulibaly; James, Jorginho, Kante, Chilwell; Sterling, Mount; Havertz
Edouard Mendy will command a defensive trio of Kounde, Koulibaly and Thiago Silva.
Wing-backs Reece James and Ben Chilwell are likely to be joined by Jorginho and the workaholic N’Golo Kante.
And new signing Sterling is set to partner England international team-mate Mason Mount in support of lone forward Kai Havertz.
Star man: Raheem Sterling
If Chelsea needed a statement signing to kickstart the new regime, the addition of four-time Premier League winner Sterling ticked the box.
The versatile forward was not an automatic pick by the season’s end but still contributed 13 league goals and five assists en route to the title.
Converted from inconsistent winger to ruthless frontman by Guardiola, the former Liverpool attacker can lead the line or play behind Havertz in attack.
Back in London after starting his career with QPR, Sterling brings leadership, know-how and goals to Stamford Bridge.
Up-and-comer: Harvey Vale
First-team opportunities have been notoriously hard to come by for Chelsea youngsters — but attacking midfielder Harvey Vale should be the next cab off the rank.
The 18-year-old saw minutes in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup last season but spent the majority of his time shining in the Premier League 2 for Chelsea’s Under-23s.
Vale bagged five goals and three assists, finishing the season as the Blues’ Academy Player of the Season.
Poached from local rivals Fulham at Under-13s level, Vale captained England Under-19s to European Championship glory in Slovakia this summer, assisting Carney Chukwuemeka in the final.
The boss: Thomas Tuchel
Unceremoniously dumped by Paris Saint-Germain in 2020, Tuchel has quickly restored — and subsequently enhanced — his reputation at Chelsea.
The German, 48, guided the Blues to Champions League glory at the end of his first season before winning the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
Known for his intensity and pressing style, Tuchel forged his reputation in his homeland with Mainz before getting the Borussia Dortmund job in 2015, succeeding Jurgen Klopp.
The DFB-Pokal was all Tuchel had to show for two years with BVB but he soon landed the PSG gig, winning a pair of league titles and four domestic cups.
However, he was sacked on Christmas Eve 2020 despite boasting the best win percentage in Ligue 1 history (75.6%).
PSG’s loss has been Chelsea’s gain.
All information correct as of 3pm, July 21, 2022
