With the west London club set for a major squad overhaul at Stamford Bridge this summer, we predict just how the Blues may line up for the opening game of next season …
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GK: Thibaut Courtois
The giant Belgium international is set to be recalled this summer from his latest season-long loan switch at Atletico Madrid to begin the next campaign as the Blues’ new No 1 in place of Petr Cech.
LB: Filipe Luis
Chelsea head coach Jose Mourinho is known to want a left-footed full back to take on this role next season, and the player the Special One is said to want to sign this summer is Atletico Madrid’s highly rated Brazil international.
CB: John Terry
With the club captain’s future at Stamford Bridge having recently been resolved, Terry is now set to end his illustrious career in west London after putting pen to paper on a new 12-month rolling contract with his boyhood team.
CB: Gary Cahill
After the rock-solid campaign at the heart of the west London club’s back four, the steady England international will most definitely be resuming his partnership in central defence alongside compatriot and skipper Terry.
RB: Cesar Azpilicueta
What a brilliant campaign the ever-reliable Spain international has just enjoyed in a unfamiliar left-back role, although expect the versatile full back to now be asked to revert back to his more familiar right-back berth in the new campaign.
CM: Nemanja Matic
The Serbia international has already proved to be an inspired purchase by the Blues from Benfica in the January transfer window, albeit at a cost of £24m, and so the holding midfielder will therefore line up in front of the back four to kick off the new campaign.
CM: Marco Van Ginkel
The Netherlands international missed the majority of the previous campaign after suffering a serious knee-ligament injury at the start of the season, but Mourinho is said to rate the 21-year-old highly, so expect him to start in central midfield at the beginning of the new campaign in place of Ramires.
LW: Eden Hazard
Despite all the rumours of late, the brilliant Belgium international is expected to still be at Stamford Bridge next season, with the Blues more likely to offload Oscar in order to help fund new arrivals at the club.
RW: Willian
The impish Brazil international enjoyed an impressive debut campaign for the west Londoners on the right-hand side of their front three and as such the forward is expected to remain in Mourinho’s plans going forward.
ST: Mario Mandzukic
The Special One is known to be a huge admirer of the Croatia international and with the 27-year-old on his way out of Bayern Munich, do not be at all surprised to see the forward ending up at the Bridge this summer in what will be an all-new front line.
ST: Diego Costa
With Chelsea having recently met the value of the Brazil-born attacker’s release clause in his current deal at Atletico Madrid, all that now needs to be done is for the two parties to agree personal terms, which is expected to be done after next weekend’s Champions League final.