-
News
- 2 hours ago
Three players Chelsea must sign this summer to win the Premier League title
Cameron Smith
- 5 Feb 2026 12:30 GMT
- 6 min read
Analysis
Chelsea are three-and-a-half years into the Clearlake Capital project and they are still yet to challenge for the Premier League title, despite the vast investment into new signings.
The Blues have spent over €1.7 billion on players since their new owners arrived, although €921m has been earned through sales during that time, with the club eager to offload talent if they are unable to establish themselves as key first-team stars at Stamford Bridge.
This methodology has been widely criticised by fans and pundits alike, although there have been several major success stories, with Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Marc Cucurella and Cole Palmer all impressing since their arrivals at Stamford Bridge.
Current ETV
Moisés Caicedo
DM, M (C)
Chelsea
Moisés Caicedo
DM, M (C)
Chelsea
ETV Range
€100.9M - €123.3M
Despite this, Chelsea’s squad still has several gaping holes and they are lacking elite-level quality in a number of positions.
Given the track record of Chelsea’s owners, they are unlikely to address this problem with ready-made solutions this summer, but it’s clear that further reinforcements are needed if the Blues are to compete for the Premier League next season.
Below, FootballTransfers runs through three signings Chelsea should target if they want to finally end their English top flight title drought.
CB - Nico Schlotterbeck (Borussia Dortmund)
The first player Chelsea should target this summer is Borussia Dortmund centre-back Nico Schlotterbeck, who has been heavily linked with Barcelona and Liverpool in recent months.
The Germany international has been a formidable presence for Dortmund over the past few years and his ability to play progressive passes through the lines is reminiscent of Chelsea star Levi Colwill.
The Blues have sorely missed Colwill’s in-possession quality this season, with the England star ruled out with an ACL injury, and landing Schlotterbeck last summer would’ve been an extremely sensible idea.
However, he would still be a useful signing in 2026, with Benoit Badiashile evidently not at the level required for a team wanting to compete for the Premier League title.
Chelsea already have Wesley Fofana, Trevoh Chalobah, Josh Acheampong, Aaron Anselmino and Mamadou Sarr as talented right-footed central defenders, in addition to the unfancied Tosin Adarabioyo, while Colwill and Badiashile are the only left-sided options at the club, with Jorrel Hato currently regarded as a left-back.
As a result, landing Schlotterbeck should be a priority and he would instantly be a major upgrade on Badiashile.
CAM - Morgan Rogers (Aston Villa)
Cole Palmer has suffered with a chronic groin injury known as pubalgia for the entirety of the 2025-26 season and despite featuring fairly regularly since the start of December, he is clearly not fully fit.
The England star doesn’t have time for an extended period on the sidelines if he wants to make Thomas Tuchel’s World Cup squad, but he is currently playing at arguably 60% or 70% capacity.
STATS
Cole Palmer
M (C)
Chelsea
Cole Palmer
M (C)
Chelsea
His impact on games is therefore fairly minimal and his situation has to be managed on a day-by-day basis.
Of course, Palmer could return to full fitness over the summer, something that is more likely to happen if he isn’t included in England’s World Cup squad, but his condition won’t go away overnight and Chelsea therefore should prioritise landing a new No.10 capable of playing regularly in the 23-year-old’s absence.
Enzo Fernandez has filled in admirably this campaign, however his best role is as a box-to-box number eight and signing a true attacking midfielder would be advisable given Palmer’s current malaise.
Morgan Rogers is the dream target and Chelsea are understood to have closely followed his development since his move to Villa Park from Middlesbrough. The England international has registered 46 goal contributions in 88 games since the start of last season and he is crucially a known entity in the Premier League.
He recently signed a new contract at Aston Villa to reduce speculation of a blockbuster transfer, but a move could still take place in 2026 and Chelsea would be wise to go all-out for the ex-Manchester City academy starlet.
LW - Kenan Yildiz (Juventus)
Juventus superstar Kenan Yildiz is the final player on this list, meaning goalkeeper and centre forward have both, perhaps surprisingly, been omitted.
Robert Sanchez still has a plethora of haters, but he has genuinely been a reliable presence in between the sticks for Chelsea since the Club World Cup. Furthermore, with Mike Penders impressing on loan at Strasbourg and Mike Maignan set to sign a new AC Milan contract, Chelsea would probably be best served spending money elsewhere.
As for the centre forward position, Joao Pedro has excelled since the appointment of Rosenior, while Emmanuel Emegha will arrive from Strasbourg this summer.
In addition, the failures of Viktor Gyokeres and Benjamin Sesko at Arsenal and Manchester United this season prove that goals on the continent don’t always translate to the Premier League, and there aren’t many elite strikers on the market.
Therefore, landing a new left winger is arguably more important. Geovany Quenda will bolster Chelsea’s ranks when he joins the club from Sporting CP this summer and his versatility to cover both flanks will be vitally important.
However, both Jamie Gittens and Alejandro Garnacho have failed to impress since arriving last year and Chelsea’s lack of potency versus Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Tuesday night came courtesy of their quite frankly dire options out wide.
Landing a superstar left winger should therefore be regarded as a priority, with Estevao Willian capable of fulfilling that role on the opposite flank, and Pedro Neto and Quenda set to feature on both sides. Adding Yildiz to the squad would form an excellent quartet of wingers.
The Turkey international has scored nine goals and provided eight assists in 31 matches this season, and his dynamism on the left flank would elevate Chelsea’s attacking quality tenfold.
He has been heavily linked with a move to west London over the past 12 months, but Juventus have no intention of sanctioning a sale and widespread reports in Italy suggest he is expected to sign a contract extension in Turin shortly.
A deal is therefore fairly unlikely, but he would be an immense signing for Chelsea.
Football transfer news headlines today
The 10 most expensive signings of the January transfer window
Tonali to Arsenal: Agent makes transfer confession
Ronaldo pushes for Saudi exit as strike continues
The FootballTransfers app
Check out FootballTransfers' new app for all of football's big storylines, transfer rumours and exclusive news in one convenient place directly on your mobile device.
The FootballTransfers app is available on Google Play and in the Apple App Store. Download here:
