Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has admitted the club are in need of a rebuild as the core members of the squad enter the twilight of their careers.
The starting lineup from the opening day victory over Everton featured no fewer than six players over the age of 30, including the entire defence and the two central midfielders.
Tuchel has attempted to combat his ageing squad by signing Marc Cucurella and Carney Chukwuemeka, while also retaining Conor Gallagher and Armando Broja, and talks remain ongoing over a blockbuster deal to sign Leicester’s 21-year-old centre-back Wesley Fofana.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Tuchel conceded it is an ongoing effort to bring the average age of his squad down.
“We are in transition,” he said. “It’s like a bit of a rebuild.
“It’s necessary. Without any offence or complaining, we are not the youngest team in the Premier League at the moment with our key players, so it needs a rebuild.
“It’s another cherry on top of the cake and we’re trying to deal with it.”
Scott Saunders, Graeme Bailey & Sean Walsh bring you Talking Transfers, discussing Man Utd’s transfer market implosion in targeting deals for Adrien Rabiot & Marko Arnautovic, Man City’s stance on selling Bernardo Silva to Barcelona, Wilfried Zaha’s future and more. Available on all audio platforms and the 90min YouTube channel.
If you can’t see the podcast embed, click here to download the episode in full!
Goalkeeper Edouard Mendy is 30 while the three defenders in front of him against Everton – Kalidou Koulibaly, Cesar Azpilicueta and Thiago Silva – are 31, 32 and 37 respectively.
In midfield, Jorginho is 30 and N’Golo Kante is 31, and Mateo Kovacic has just celebrated his 28th birthday.
Behind the scenes, new owner Todd Boehly has been working with youth chiefs Neil Bath and Jim Fraser to snap up some of the game’s top young talents.