As the start of the new Premier League season gets closer than ever, fans and pundits alike can’t help but notice which side seems to be in pole position to take home the trophy next year.
This year’s title race is touted to be the closest and tightest one yet, even more so than last year’s thriller, and rightly so. The title contenders have all gone out and strengthened the areas which might just see them edge closer to the title ahead of their rivals.
But the question that remains in everyone’s mind is: which team strengthened the most?
There is one side which undoubtedly looks to be the strongest, as of yet, in my mind. They are José Mourinho’s Chelsea. Chelsea have made some impressive signings this summer, but that is not what has impressed me. With a club of their stature, and the income that the club generates per annum, it is easy for them to spend big on players. But Chelsea have not only spent wisely this summer, they’ve invested smartly.
Mourinho got straight to work in this transfer window, strengthening in the areas which caused some headaches last season, when Mourinho failed to deliver a trophy to the club. So far, Chelsea have signed Diego Costa and Filipe Luis from Atletico Madrid, and also Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona.
The key areas where Chelsea struggled for depth in their massive squad last season where left back and centre forward, where Mourinho’s gamble of bringing in Samuel Eto’o did not pay off.
Mourinho has now strengthened these areas by bringing in Luis and Costa, both of whom had a fantastic season at Atletico Madrid. Mourinho, being as clever as he is, also decided to bring in Cesc Fabregas, who will primarily play in the centre of midfield alongside Nemanja Matic, but can be pushed further up the pitch and play in the number 10 role just behind the striker.
The reason why Fabregas’ signing impresses me so much is that in the second half of the season, Chelsea struggled for creativity from their number 10, Oscar, and thus were not able to score as many goals as they would have hoped. The dip in Oscar’s form was partly the reason behind Chelsea not being able to secure the title last season. With Juan Mata offloaded to Manchester United in the middle of the season, many fans were worried that the club might suffer the same set of torrid results if Oscar’s form was to be plagued again. But Jose noticed the issue, and straight away got Fabregas from Barcelona for a relatively cheap price for a world class midfielder.
By signing Filipe Luis, Mourinho also solved a major issue in his defense. Last season, he had to play Cesar Azpilicueta as a left back, despite him being a right footed player, and Ivanovic as a right back due to his personal belief that Ashley Cole was not good enough anymore. But with Luis now in the squad, Mourinho can revert Azpilicueta back to right back and let Ivanovic be a much needed extra centre back. With Thibaut Courtois also recalled from his loan stint at Atletico Madrid, Chelsea look to have sealed all the leaks in their defense.
Although clubs like Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool have also strengthened quite a lot, in my eyes it is Chelsea who have injected the most amount of quality in the squad so far this transfer window. If the squads stay this way, Chelsea will be the clear favourites to lift the trophy at the end of the season.
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