Chelsea are champions-elect in the Premier League and if reports are to be believed, Antonio Conte already has eyes on improving his squad in the summer.
The Italian head coach has used the least amount of players in the Premier League throughout his debut season in England.
The Blues will be back in the Champions League next season and will have to deal with the added fixtures next season.
At this moment in time, the current squad would not be able to cope with the extra demand and the need for strength in depth is clear to see.
It’s not an unfamiliar sight to see the Blues linked with a host of targets from in and around Europe.
With the international break coming up, we cast an eye to next season and look at some players at Stamford Bridge that could find their place in the squad under threat in the summer.
Marcos Alonso
The summer arrival has had to battle against the critics since joining from Fiorentina.
The Blues are likely to be in the market for an improvement in his position. He’s been largely unchallenged out on the left prior to Nathan Ake’s return to the club.
Victor Moses
Similarly to Alonso, Moses is likely to find his place under threat too this summer.
Conte is likely to want someone more specialised in the position.
With the added fixtures, having another option to the Nigerian international will be key.
Nemanja Matic
He’s been in and out of the team recently with Cesc Fabregas giving Conte a selection headache.
The Spaniard and Matic may find their positions under threat this summer, with squad improvement and added quality on Conte’s wish list.
The Italian may want a more ‘well-rounded’ midfielder to partner N’Golo Kante next season.
Willian
Another player who has been in and out of the starting XI of late.
Both him and Pedro offer Conte different qualities suited to different games.
The Spaniard appears to be Conte’s first choice and a winger could be targeted in the summer, to provide more competition.
Michy Batshuayi
It would be a surprise to see the Belgian forward at Stamford Bridge next season.
He has failed to settle or impress since his £33 million move from Marseille.
Expect to see the striker either leave on loan to continue his development or be moved on permanently. A loan move is the most likely.
Nathaniel Chalobah
If Conte does target a central midfielder in the summer, this man could see him game time limited.
Whilst the extra fixtures will provide him more opportunities, an extra player would see him slip further down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
Nathan Ake
The move that brought him back to Stamford Bridge could prove to be the wrong decision unless Conte is moulding the young Dutchman into his desired defender behind the scenes.
He’s not had much game time since returning to Chelsea and could’ve benefitted from staying at Bournemouth.