Defence
Players: Marcos Alonso, Emerson Palmieri, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori, Antonio Rudiger, Andreas Christensen, Cezar Azpilicueta, Reece James
Chelsea's defence has been a major talking point of their season so far. The Blues have had terrible luck with injuries through the season and especially those pertaining to their most experienced centre-half Rudiger. The 26-year-old has been in and out of the side due to niggling injuries through the season and the likes of Zouma, Tomori and Christensen have failed to guard Arrizzabalaga's goal effectively.
The Blues have conceded a staggering 29 times in 21 matches, just one goal less than the most conceded by any club in the top half of the table with both Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal having let in 30 goals. At home, their record worsens, having lost 4 games and drawn 2 out of a total of 10 fixtures, conceding 10 times.
The left-back spot has been up for grabs for some time now as both Alonso and Emerson have, so far, failed to cement their status as starters. With a combined total of 1 goal and 2 assists between them in 20 games, all of them being from Alonso, their left-backs' attacking output is nearly negligible. They have both been guilty of poor defensive performances, with neither being able to provide Lampard's side with the desired stability in defence and consistency in offensive areas of the game.
It is no surprise that they've been linked to left-backs in the market for so long, with Alonso's future also in doubt considering that Chelsea could easily cash in on the Spaniard and opt to upgrade on their existing options. Perhaps a defender that is more suited to Frank Lampard's and modern football's demands such as Ben Chilwell could massively help the Blues in this department or even a more established campaigner such as Alex Telles of FC Porto. They could provide better output in the final third and are more evidently proactive in the defensive third.
Right-back is a position that Chelsea don't need to fret over due to the presence of a promising Englishman in Reece James, who is touted to challenge captain Azpilicueta as the Spaniard begins to see his powers wane. James is a part of England's new generation of exciting talents and he most certainly has the quality to provide from the right what Alonso and Emerson have so far failed to do from the left.
Centre-back is, unfortunately, an area of massive concern for the London club. Their current options Zouma, Christensen, Tomori and Rudiger have failed to provide them with a stable backline. From the time of the legendary coupling of John Terry and Ricardo Carvalho, Chelsea have always had at least a couple of reliable defenders to form a solid spine. As a consequence of this, their links to Kalidou Koulibaly make all the more sense, as a figure such as the Senegalese is exactly what the Blues could do with - that of a leader.
Nathan Ake is another potential option due to the buy-back clause demanded by Chelsea in the Dutchman's contract as he was set to join AFC Bournemouth. The Napoli man, though, would ideally be the man to lead this inexperienced Chelsea defence due to several things, most important being his ball-playing ability and leadership skills.
Koulibaly has established himself as one of the most sought-after defenders in the world due to his elite performances over the last few years. He is quite comfortably the best available centre-half in the world, with the likes of Sergio Ramos, Virgil van Dijk, and other defensive stalwarts being nearly impossible to prise away.
Should Chelsea capture the defensive rock who plying his trade in Naples, Stamford Bridge would finally see a dependable defender help solidify their porous rearguard. Expect to see Chelsea move for a centre-half this winter.