Chelsea FC: Seven free signings Antonio Conte should aim for next summer(click to read full report)

Chelsea are going to need to strengthen again next summer.  The options for free signings are more effective than they have been for years. Chelsea could theoretically acquire all their players for free.

Next summer, several top transfer targets will be at the end of their contracts. Antonio Conte can remove one of Chelsea FC’s presumed objections – cost – by presenting them a list of free transfers.

FIFA allows teams to offer a contract to a player from a different league if they have less than six months left on their current contract. For players in the same league, teams must wait until the contract expires. That means Chelsea can not approach players such as Alexis Sanchez, Mesut Ozil or Zlatan Ibrahimovic until the season is over. But many other players are fair game.

Faouzi Ghoulam: Left-back, Napoli
Chelsea need a back up for Marcos Alonso. They succeeded in signing Davide Zappacosta as backup for Victor Moses in the past window. Their unsuccessful venture, however, was pursuiing Juventus’ Alex Sandro.

Napoli are the best team to watch in Europe at the moment. They are defensively strong and attack with vigor. Statistically, Faouzi Ghoulam outperforms or is at least on-par with Sandro in many respects in the same league. Ghoulam is stronger one-on-one than Sandro, and has more key passes this season as well. Ghoulam is perfect for Antonio Conte’s system.

Chelsea should offer the 26-year old Ghoulam £85,000 per week for five years.

Andres Iniesta: Central midfield, Barcelona
Chelsea need an experienced creative midfielder who understands their role in the team. They can not take up too much time starting the play. This player should be a solid professional and someone that youth players can learn from.

Andres Iniesta would be that player.  Barcelona are in turmoil at the board level. It is the sort of thing that Barcelona do every 10 years, so they are about due. It’s the reason why they are not Real Madrid, despite always having quality players.

Barcelona’s need for drama affects their football too often. Iniesta has commented that he is unhappy recently, but unready to retire. And his good friend Pedro is loving life at Chelsea.

Chelsea should offer £120,000 per week for two years.

Arjen Robben: Attacking midfield, Bayern Munich
This signing is in the same vein as Iniesta. Chelsea shoot themselves in the foot constantly with their apparent aversion to youth while at the same time disliking age. They do not play young players but then they cast off old players. It’s an odd, strange and unbelievably stupid management tactic from the higher-up levels.

Arjen Robben would bring professionalism, experience and he is an old Chelsea boy.  He is the sort of player upon whom Conte can lean both on and off the field.

Chelsea should offer the 33-year old former Blue £100,000 per week for two years.

Luke Shaw: Left back, Manchester United
Chelsea could still need a left back, in which case Luke Shaw’s expiring contract at Manchester United is perfect timing. Shaw grew up a Chelsea supporter, and Manchester United has not worked out for him at all.

That said, he is young (22), English and could still be the sort of player he is supposed to have always been. Chelsea will have to wait before making him an offer since he is in the Premier League, but he should be on the watchlist throughout the spring.

Their offer should be £45,000 per week for three years.

Leon Goretzka: Midfield, Schalke
Another midfielder to help shape Antonio Conte’s squad and simply beef up the numbers a little would not be a bad thing.  Schalke’s Leon Goretzka is labeled the next Bastian Schweinsteiger in Germany. Young German players are showing a much higher proficiency upon leaving Germany than they did a decade ago.

A player of this quality would automatically up the level of quality in Chelsea’s squad and make them a far better team next season. Barcelona, Manchester United and both Milan clubs as well as Bayern Munich are chasing him.

Chelsea should offer £80,000 per week for six years.

Lionel Messi: Forward, Barcelona
This one is going to be the craziest one here. Lionel Messi is going to be out of contract this summer and, because of the above-mentioned drama, has still not been offered a good enough new contract.

Simply put: if you’re in the sport of football you should compete for the best players. Messi is one of the best, if not the best, player in football. He will probably stay in Barcelona but putting pressure on the Catalans is not a bad thing to do.  He is 30 years old, so he is approaching the end of his career. But even for a couple years of class it would be worth it. He has an offer on the table for four years at £500,000 per week.

Alexis Sanchez: Forward, Arsenal
Another wait-and-see, and the most important one besides the obvious Lionel Messi. He wants out of Arsenal but to stay in London. Saying that is essentially asking Chelsea to make an offer.   Since he does, however, play in the Premier League Chelsea need to wait until the summer to make their move, hopefully for £300,000 per week for five years.

October 08, 2017 sports