Jose Mourinho has taken over an immensely talented squad, but Fernando Torres' continuing problems surely dictates that a striker will arrive in West London. Jose has spoken of evolution rather than revolution, and one stellar signing could be enough to initiate a serious title bid.
Friday 14 June 2013 10:08, UK
We break down who Chelsea should be signing and weigh up how much cash might be in the kitty.
What's been said: "We have to improve the team, but when I say improve, people are already thinking about how many millions Chelsea will spend. I mean through work. Work hard, work professionally and make the team better. If after that we can improve the team by buying a couple of players it is fantastic but I have to improve the team with my work" - Jose Mourinho. The budget: There was talk of £100m but Mourinho's words have muddied the waters. What's needed: A striker. A really quite decent striker. If we assume that the 2013 Fernando Torres is as good as Fernando Torres is ever going to be again, then Chelsea need a really quite decent striker. Whether that's Edin Dzeko, Steven Jovetic, Mario Gomez or Wayne Rooney is just tabloid guesswork right now, but that has to be the priority. There aren't too many other massive holes in a Chelsea squad that, with a little more stability, already looks talented enough for a title challenge. Another central midfielder (though Michael Essien will return to offer more strength in depth) and some left-back back-up for Ashley Cole are likely to be on Mourinho's wish list about half a page below a really long list of strikers. One fascinating aspect of Chelsea's summer business will be the returning Belgian loanees Thibault Courtois and Romelu Lukaku, who both have half an eye on a World Cup in Brazil that must seem an awful long way away from the Chelsea bench. Chelsea have the 'problem' of having two of Europe's top ten goalkeepers on their books and one of its most promising young strikers (currently third choice in a one-striker system). Loan them out again? Bring them back and make them fight for their place? Cash in now? Just as soon as he's signed a striker, Mourinho has some big decisions to make. Ideal signing:Edinson Cavani would be a fantastic coup, given possible interest from Manchester City and Real Madrid. Only Messi, Ronaldo and Ibrahimovic scored more league goals in Europe than the Uruguayan, and at 26 Cavani is at the peak of his powers. Sky Bet: Bookmakers cut Chelsea's price to win the Premier League following confirmation of Mourinho's return, such is their confidence that he'll make them genuine title contenders once again. However, as stressed, there's no way they can sustain a challenge without at least one major addition up front, and right now Cavani looks like the most likely option, with Sky Bet going as short as 4/11 that he'll move to Stamford Bridge this summer. As if Mourinho needed any further incentive to secure the prolific striker's services, landing new Napoli's manager Rafa Benitez's greatest inheritance promises some personal satisfaction, while Cavani has made no secret of his willingness to work with the Portuguese. The Serie A side are expected to put up a resilient fight, though, so should the Blues be priced out of a move they may turn their attention to want-away Manchester United striker Wayne Rooney, who is odds-on to leave the club this summer, with Sky Bet offering 6/4 that he's a Chelsea player by September. Transfer specials here Release list: Amin Affane, Yossi Benayoun, Abdul Deen-Conteh, Paulo Ferreira, Hilario, Florent Malouda, Archange Nkumu, Ross Turnbull Read our up-to-the-minute live Chelsea transfer feed here
