Before Christmas, nobody had anticipated Chelsea's title challenging that ended as quickly as it did.
The side of Enzo Maresca seemed to be the nearest title candidates from Liverpool when they went to Fulham in their boxing day home collision. After losing 2-1 at home from the Cottagers, the blues won only three of their last nine Premier League matches and were beaten from the FA Cup by Brighton and Hove Albion.
Although Chelsea has the most expensive team in Europe, there is still doubts in various parts of the field. The blues have broken the bank several times, including the crushing of the Premier League transformer record to sign Enzo Fernandez in 2023 before they do this again to sign Moises Caicedo from Brighton.
However, there are many experienced and high -quality players who will be free agents, the end of the season. Mirror Football looks at five stars that the blues can pick up for nothing in the summer.
David de Gea
Chelsea is located on a goalkeeper cross. Neither Robert Sanchez nor the summer signed Filip Jorgensen are convinced, and the board of Blues also believes that the young shot stoppers Djordje Petrovic and Mike Penders – who are on loan in Strasburg and Genk – can fill the blues sticks for the long term respectively.
When it comes to short-term and experienced solutions, few come better than the legend of Manchester United, David de Gea. Both Jorgensen and Sanchez are culpable for making precious, individual mistakes that were painful for the West London.
De Gea will be a free agent at the end of the season and with the World Cup 2026 on the Horizon, an impressive campaign for West Londoners might be able to provide him with a shock-Leader for the Spain's team for the Tournament of the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Dominic Calvert-Lewin
Nicolas Jackson has become on jumps and boundaries this season, but the Senegalese bait is the only center-forward at Stamford Bridge and is susceptible to an occasional loss of trust. Chelsea wants their strikers to be able to keep the ball up, turn behind and connect with people like Cole Palmer, Noni Madueke and others.
Calvert-Lewin has all the attributes they are looking for in a striker. At 27 he is in his Prime, and he can enjoy the prospect of playing in a side that has more of the ball, which offers a better service. Many have perhaps forgotten his impressive form under Carlo Ancelotti in the 2020-21 campaign, so he scored 16 Premier League objectives.
His injury record would worry every club about a possible movement, but Calvert-Lewin would not be necessary to play every game, with Jackson also in the ranks.
Joshua Kimmich
Chelsea has a shortage of experience, midfield options and are often fallible with full -back – Kimmich, just like a head key, would be an immediate solutions for all those issues. There are few better operators in world football than the Champions League winner and eight times Bundesliga champion.
Kimmich has been a world -class player for many years, or as a right back or a central midfielder. With Maresca who recently claims that he regards Captain Reece James as a better option Central-Midfield, Kimmich would be the perfect, experienced head to go into the right back or even play next to the Blues' Academy Star. He also brings the same winning mentality and leadership skills that Chelsea lost when Thiago Silva left the club at the end of last season.
Tyrick Mitchell
Maresca's decision to banish Ben Chilwell has left the blues with only Marc Cucurella available as a senior option at Left Back. With Chilwell probably at the end of the season, Maresca will certainly need another option on the left.
There are few better, free options than the man who keeps Chilwell out of the start of eleven in Crystal Palace. Mitchell has been a solid, reliable and consistent option at left back for the Eagles.
He is calm on the ball, can run for 90 minutes of box-to-box and is defensive strong. Chelsea can be much worse than the former international in England, who is also only 25 years old.
Angel Gomes
Since Christmas Day, Chelsea has fallen 13 points from winning positions. Their most important weakness this year is their inability to control competitions, especially when the opposition has made some substitutions or tactical adjustments.
Angel Gomes brings you control, calmness and a murderous pass in the middle of midfield. Maresca has more than £ 250 million in central midfielders in Fernandez, Caicedo and Romeo Lavia, but the latter is very injured, and the aforementioned duo is not known for their ability to control games from the center of the field. Gomes would bring extra balance and vital depth on a blues side that has lost the battle for midfield too often.
At the moment he seems to leave Lille at the end of the campaign, which means that he will be one of the most sought after free agents in the world in the summer.
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