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Chelsea are certainly entering a period of crisis. There is still uncertainty surrounding their managerial situation with Conte still to be relieved of his duties and Maurizio Sarri yet to be announced as their new manager.
In addition to that, their billionaire owner Roman Abramovich is currently not allowed in the country due to his visa issues. The fact that their stadium plans have now been shelved adds to the growing confusion surrounding the club. There are reports stating that the stadium plans being shelved is related to the Abramovich issue.
Chelsea had a bad transfer window last summer and it definitely reflected on the pitch where they finished 5th in the Premier League. After a great start to Conte's first managerial season in charge, Chelsea got it badly wrong last summer.
Only Rudiger could be termed as a relative success out of the vast number of players they recruited last summer. On the basis of their performances last season, they deserved to be squad players than rather than those challenging for the starting 11.
It seems their managerial situation is also currently having an adverse impact on the transfer activities of the club with the West London club one of the few who have yet to sign a player this summer.
With the additional burden of the Europa League, it is imperative that the board makes sure that it has the right mix of players for the next manager, whoever it may be, to work with.
With an early end to the transfer window coupled with the contract situations concerning their key players, these appear to be testing times for Chelsea fans. With no player signed yet this summer, the last thing they need is for some of their top players, who have been linked with various clubs, to leave the club amidst this turmoil.
Hence, let us look at those top 5 players that Chelsea definitely need to keep this summer if they dream of having a fruitful 2018-19 season.
#5 Ruben Loftus-Cheek
The last player to make it to the Chelsea first team from their youth academy was one John Terry. That was around 20 years ago and although Chelsea themselves have undergone huge changes in the last 15 years or so, that is an abysmal statistic.
Loftus Cheek was supposed to be the favourite to change that trend. Hence, it was quite surprising to see that Chelsea and Conte allowed him to go out on loan to Crystal Palace. This was in spite of the fact that the Italian manager favoured a 3-5-2 formation in his second season as Chelsea manager.
Loftus-Cheek made 24 appearances for Crystal Palace scoring 2 goals in the league last season with much of his campaign hampered by injuries.
The irony is that Chelsea bought £90m worth of midfield players last summer but none of them were selected for their national squads for the World Cup. However, Loftus-Cheek, their own youth product, was selected because of the pivotal role he played in Palace's escape from relegation.
If Chelsea are to send a positive message to their youth prospects, then they certainly cannot afford a promising player, who performed well on loan and equally good in the national team, to just leave.
#4 Willian
Willian has been one of the most underrated players in the Premier League. The Brazilian, who signed in 2013 for Chelsea, has been a revelation and has certainly caught the eye of the likes of Manchester United and Barcelona this summer.
He was their best player in the forgettable 2015-16 campaign and the only bright spark for the West London club that season. The arrival of Antonio Conte may have earned two trophies for Chelsea but Willian was often favoured for either Pedro in Conte's first season or a 3 man midfield in his second season.
He was excellent in their Champions league Pre quarters in both the matches against Barcelona with his excellent burst of space causing havoc in the Catalan defence. However, he was only introduced as a late substitute for Chelsea's vital clash against Manchester United in the FA Cup final making the Brazilian feel frustrated.
Willian made 55 appearances for the club last season scoring 13 goals. However, he was widely used as a squad player and has never been able to convince Conte pertinent to his place in the starting 11 in the last 2 years.
As a result, Willian did have plans to leave if Conte remains Chelsea manager; although that remains an unlikely situation with the more adventurous Sarri set to take over. Willian has refused to commit to Chelsea in the recent past with reports stating that the midfielder is interested in a move to Barcelona.
The Brazilian stated that he only wanted to talk about his future post the World Cup and with Brazil now out of the World Cup, it would be interesting to know what is in store for the former Shakhtar Donetsk man. Even at 29, Willian is quite an exciting player and someone Chelsea should try to keep.
#3 Thibaut Courtois
Courtois is currently regarded as one of the best goalkeepers in the world and right so. They have been numerous instances where his calm, positioning and acrobatics have bailed out Chelsea. One of the most astute decisions of Chelsea was to make Courtois No.1 ahead of the ageing Cech in the 2014-15 season. Chelsea did not have to wait long for the results to come with the team winning 2 Premier League titles, 1 League cup and 1 FA cup in the last 4 seasons.
Courtois made 46 appearances last season in all competitions keeping 19 clean sheets in the process with Caballero being preferred for the domestic cup games. It is his ability to make vital saves in crucial moments that make Courtois stand out from the rest.
The fact that he has refused a contract extension with the club due to personal reasons and his current deal expiring in 2019, it may be very likely that the Belgian stopper could leave Chelsea this season.
However, if Chelsea indeed plans to sell a goalkeeper of such high standards for a good price rather than letting him go for free, they need to make sure they buy an equally reliable keeper. Fancy Allison Becker anyone?
#2 Eden Hazard
Hence, it is of utmost importance that Chelsea keep their star man happy. Unlike his compatriot Courtois, Hazard has stated that if his club buys the right players and is ready to play a more adventurous style, he will pledge his future to the Pensioners. Hazard is one of the few world class players that Chelsea currently possess. It may not be completely wrong to state that the importance of Hazard to Chelsea is similar to the one that both Ronaldo and Messi have to Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Perhaps, his importance can easily be delineated by the fact that he was the highest goalscorer for the club last season in a campaign in which Chelsea's forwards failed badly. Hazard scored 17 goals in his 52 appearances for the club last season and replacing him will never be an easy task.
However, with the current turmoil at the club, it is a high possibility that the former Lille forward would leave Chelsea this summer and move to Real Madrid, a club who has been constantly linked with him.
The possible departure of Ronaldo from the Spanish club will pave way for another Galactico and if Chelsea do not address their issues sooner rather than later, that Galactico would be the Belgian magician.
#1 N'Golo Kante
When Chelsea signed Kante for £32 million after his Leicester City triumph, it was considered to be an astute signing by the club. However, two years down the line and the signing can be arguably considered as of the best bargains ever made.
Kante was exceptional during the 2016-17 campaign in which he deservedly won the PFA player of the year award. Although Chelsea stuttered in the next season, Kante was one of the few who should not be shouldering the blame for that.
One of the biggest dilemmas for Conte was to identify who can partner Kante in his midfield. Conte rotated his midfield with the likes of Fabregas, Drinkwater, Bakayoko and even Luiz. However, Kante was the only constant.
There is a reason people consider Kante as a player who can cover every inch of grass on the field because the French International has at times single-handedly controlled the entire midfield last season.
Since his main duty is to protect the back line, it would be fair to state his contribution in terms of his defensive work. Kante made 48 appearances last season for the club in which he made an average of 3.3 tackles per game. In his 6 champions league appearances for the club, his average increases to 3.7 per game.
His brilliant bursts of pace, intense tackling and excellent control of the ball provided the only calm in an otherwise ragged midfield of Chelsea last season. Hence, his departure from Chelsea to possibly PSG, who have made him their main target, could be the biggest blow to the club.
