Well it`s finally here, July 1st. As we say a sad goodbye to our captain, leader and legend JT as he heads north and welcome our new kit sponsors Nike, we can only wait and see what the day brings.
Whilst we sit and wait though, it`s worth looking ahead and considering who will be stepping out onto the Stamford Bridge turf when Saturday 12th August comes and we start the new Premier League campaign against Burnley.
We`ve seen all the speculation in the press about who`s coming and who`s going but what do we think? Forget the conjecture I`ve got 5 questions that need answering.
1. Who`s leading the team out in that first game? For me, it`s Gary Cahill, you could sometimes question his defensive abilities but his commitment to the team far outweigh those defensive concerns.
2. What formation do the team line-up in? Following last season’s successful change to a 3-4-3 set-up, I see Conte starting the same way. With the likely influx of at least 2 defensive players this summer, it appears he wants more flexibility, to swap between systems and maybe use a more traditional 4-4-2.
3. Who else do you see leaving? You have to say Matic is on his way. I think Costa may stay until January, hopefully we can tie-up a decent deal for him. I`d like to think the rest stay. The squad was fairly light last season, and with no Champions League was able to cope OK, that certainly won`t be the case in the coming months.Personally, I`d let Courtois go and take his outrageous wage demands elsewhere. According to The Sun Real Madrid have lost interest in him, so I guess he stays.
4. Who`s leading the line? If you assume Conte is able to kiss and make-up with Costa, I see him starting ahead of a move to Madrid. It may seem unlikely but stranger things have happened. I suspect the Lukaku move will drag on through the whole window, getting done in the final hours as Everton stubbornly hold out for as much cash as possible. If Costa goes, it will be the ‘Batman`.
5. Will Antonio Conte be wearing a hat? It`s bound to be hot and sunny, so it`s a given.
Maybe we`ll start to see the answers to some of these questions today, but as the newly refurbished Chelsea Megastore opens, maybe we won`t.
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