Wingers are very important in Enzo Maresca’s system and Chelsea want five for two positions according to The Athletic.
The Blues completed the shock signing of Geovany Quenda from Sporting Lisbon on Friday in a deal worth around £40m, with the 17-year-old set to arrive in the summer of 2026.
Chelsea believe Quenda is a top player for the future and he adds to their pool of current wingers, with exciting Brazilian Estevao Willian set to arrive this summer.
Chelsea want five wingers
The Blues currently have Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho, Pedro Neto, Mykhailo Mudyrk and Tyrique George as their wide players.
However, it’s unclear if or when Mudryk will play for the Blues again, with the winger currently suspended following a positive doping test, although he’s yet to be charged by the FA.
Estevao will likely go straight into the first team squad and you would expect the same with Quenda when he arrives.
It’s likely one or two of the current wide players will leave, but The Athletic have reported the Blues want five wingers for two positions.
The report states injuries and suspensions over the last few months have highlighted why the Blues want more options available to them.
Chelsea currently have just two fit senior wingers in Neto and Sancho, and the Portugal international has been deployed as a makeshift striker recently given the injuries to Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu.
The only options on the wings currently are Sancho and George, although Christopher Nkunku has been deployed wide in recent matches to varying degrees of success.
By having five wingers that should eliminate the Blues being in a situation where they are so short in a key area of the pitch for Maresca.
There was an expectation Kendry Paez would compete for a place in the wide areas, but reports have suggested Chelsea are lining him up to be an understudy and support for Enzo Fernandez.