With the first game of the season imminent for Chelsea, the squad is still looking thin in terms of numbers. If you disregard the Charity Shield, the Premier League season starts in just two weeks time.
Since the end of last term the Blues have seen John Terry, Kurt Zouma, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathan Ake, Tammy Abraham, Dominic Solanke and Nathaniel Chalobah leave the football club. Aside from Terry, who wouldn`t play regularly, the others could all have had an impact in a Chelsea shirt.
If you add in Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic, who both look set to leave, and you do start to worry about that first game against Burnley.
As we`ve documented here at Vital Chelsea, the only new players to arrive are Willy Cabellero, Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata.
Let`s not also forget 1st team coach Steve Holland, who left to join the England set-up. Another negative is the missing influence that JT had in the dressing room and around the club. These negatives all add up.
For that first game against Burnley, they`ll be no Eden Hazard or Tiemoue Bakayoko as they are recovering from injury. Pedro may not be available following his recent injury in Singapore. Alvaro Morata and Antonio Rudiger may not be up to speed in Premier League terms.
By my reckoning Chelsea`s squad is currently in the region of 19 players. Roman Abramovich and his board of directors must see these same things and realise the precarious position we could soon be in, certainly Antonio Conte does. Whilst we must welcome the new arrivals, there need to be more. We have to cover the wing back positions, strengthen in midfield and bring in one or two new strikers.
If we are to be competitive, during what will be a very long campaign, we have to add depth to the squad. We have to.
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