Yesterday we wrote up our list of 14 things that Chelsea needed to solve in the 14 days before the season began – and we’re happy to say that in the 24 hours since, one of the biggest of all was ticked off.
After an ultra-tense stand off which lasted all summer, Conor Gallagher’s resolve was finally broken, and late last night the news came out via the usual sources that the midfielder had accepted an offer from Atletico Madrid.
Chelsea will get €40m of pure profit injected onto their books, and clear away a huge potential piece of awkwardness that was coming down the pipeline when the team got back to Cobham.
That still leaves a lot to do – we wonder if one of the remaining 13 can be sorted out today? There are two friendly games left which will go a long way to deciding most of these conundrums.
The remaining rundown of issues to solve
Here the remaining 13:
- Fix the sloppy defensive mistakes.
- Decide if Marc Guiu is going to be our backup striker, or sign a new one.
- Figure out what to do with Ben Chilwell – he got no minutes against Man City.
- Make a final decision on the number one goalkeeper to start the season.
- Work out how to fit Christopher Nkunku into the front line.
- Decide on a midfield – Enzo and Caicedo and Dewsbury-Hall all in, with Lavia on the bench?
- Sell or loan Romelu Lukaku before things get even more awkward.
- Make a final decision on who gets the final precious loan slots.
- Any chance of a shirt sponsor?
- Can we shift Kepa permanently?
- Getting Cole Palmer back to fitness and figuring out where he fits into the team.
- Get Nicolas Jackson up to match fitness to be ready to start the season.
- Build some confidence with wins in our final friendlies.
A sizeable and accurate list!