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Chelsea began their pre-season on July 2 as the players who did not go on international duty returned for medical checkups and light ball work. Thomas Tuchel will join the squad on July 4 as he gets to work preparing the team for the new season. The full squad will return by July 9, and the squad will travel to the United States on the same day.
With the club yet to sign new players and only a few first-team regulars present, this coming week is a great opportunity for returning loanees to impress Tuchel. There are gaps in the squad, and if Tuchel feels that someone has impressed him, they could take a place in the squad. Trevoh Chalobah managed to do the same and convince Tuchel to get a handful of first-team outings, where he took his opportunities well.
Below are three players to keep an eye on.
#1 Levi Colwill - Chelsea's in-house answer at centre-back
Levi Colwill is a 19-year-old centre-back who has risen through the ranks at Cobham and went out on loan to Huddersfield Town last season. Huddersfield did well but fell short of promotion as they lost to Nottingham Forest in the play-off final. Colwill made 29 appearances for Huddersfield in the Championshp, scoring two goals and providing one assist while helping keep 11 cleansheets.
Colwill's loan has been so successful that the noise around him is similar to the hype around Reece James when he returned from his loan in 2019. Chelsea effectively only have two senior centre-backs available in Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva. There will be signings, but Colwill is well positioned to showcase to Tuchel why there is so much hype around his name over the next week.
#2 Ian Maatsen - Back-up to Ben Chilwell?
Ian Maatsen is a 20-year-old left-back who spent last season on loan at Coventry City. He made 40 appearances for Coventry in the second division, scoring three goals and providing one assist. Maatsen also played as a winger and in a more central midfield position when called upon.
Chelsea struggled to cope with Ben Chilwell's injury last season, and Maatsen would at the very least offer the pace and delivery needed.
According to Sport, Marcos Alonso is nearing a move to Barcelona, while there are also doubts over whether Emerson Palmieri will stay at the club. Both players will only return on July 9, so there is time for Maatsen to showcase his talent. Maatsen's contract expires in 2024, so there is flexibility, but there is a real opportunity to add another talented player to the squad for free.
#3 Ethan Ampadu - A fresh pair of legs to replace Jorginho/Kante?
21-year-old Ethan Ampadu spent a season out on loan at Venezia in Serie A.
Venezia were relegated, but Ampadu had a standout season, and many at Chelsea and Italy were impressed. Ampadu made 29 league appearances for Venezia as a defensive midfielder and, at times, a centre-back, impressing throughout.
The quality of Ampadu as a combative player has been visible since 2017-2018.
Many sources have come out stating that Tuchel is looking to transition Chelsea into a back-four system for next season, most recently The Athletic. What Chelsea need for a back four to thrive is a defensive midfielder who can patrol in front of the centre-backs. Declan Rice would be the ideal solution, but Ampadu could be an able stop-gap or deputy for Chelsea and a much more economical solution.
