Pre-season is edging closer and the start of the Premier League season is less than a month away. Jose Mourinho will hoping to bring some fresh blood into his ranks during this summer’s transfer window to boost his Chelsea squad. Usually Chelsea get their business done early so the new players have time to ease themselves into the Chelsea way of playing during pre-season. So far only Falcao has came into the fold and as he was involved in the Copa America, it’s unlikely he’ll feature much during pre-season.
So with opportunities more than likely going to be given to players back from loan spells and youngsters vying for a place in the Chelsea first team, there’s three players we would suggest keeping an eye on. All three players we consider to have a strong chance to be part of the Chelsea first team squad throughout the upcoming season. So considering there will be 3 types of players who will have an opportunity in pre-season we thought we’d pick one from each.
One current first team player: Oscar
One Youngster: Ruben Loftus-Cheek
One returning loanee: Bertrand Traore
We’ll start with Oscar. The Brazilian playmaker has had a slightly unfortunate few seasons. In 2012 he spent the summer playing in the Olympics for Brazil and in 2014 he spent it at the World Cup. This summer is different, as he has spent most of the summer injured which lead him to miss the Copa America. So, Oscar will be returning to Chelsea for pre-season and the extra work in the gym before the season and extra fitness work could do wonders for the midfield maestro. Criticised for lack of consistency by most fans, hopefully having a full pre-season for the blues can help him sustain his form throughout the season. When he’s on form, he’s unplayable. When he’s out of form, he’s merely a ghost on the pitch. Chelsea will be hoping the Brazilian will go big during pre-season and step up during the Premier League season to be a game changer for the blues. With Mourinho selling fan favourite Juan Mata in favour of Oscar, it’s about time he started repaying the faith shown in him.
At the end of the 14/15 season, Jose Mourinho spoke very highly of Ruben, often quoted saying that the midfielder would become a first team player in the upcoming season, not just a squad option, but a player fighting for a spot in the starting eleven. Ruben had a couple of opportunities and received some stick from the manager regarding his work-rate and determination. In the past when Jose has publicly reprimanded a player, they’ve usually gone on to become twice the player. Ruben was quick to agree with the managers opinions and vowed to improve. This summer Loftus-Cheek will be on a level playing field with the likes of Fabregas and Matic, fighting for the right to be named in the Chelsea starting eleven. It’s worth keeping an eye on the midfielder during pre-season where he will be given the opportunity to showcase his skills, possibly against the likes of PSG and Barcelona. This would be a huge test for the academy player and it’s up to him to show he belongs at the top level.
After a Fantastic campaign for Vitesse last season, Bertrand Traore will be returning to Chelsea for pre-season. Jose Mourinho and the rest of the coaching staff will be keeping a close eye on the 19-year-old, judging whether they believe he’s ready to return to Chelsea. Last season he spent pre-season with Vitesse after Chelsea decided very quickly he wasn’t ready and also the lack of work-permit was a huge block in his path. With a work-permit now successfully granted Traore will be working pre-season under one of the best managers in the world, Jose Mourinho.
This can only do wonders for the winger as when he spent pre-season under Mourinho in Asia, he flourished. With Willian and Cuardrado not long back from Copa America, Traore will have many opportunities to impress and show he can take the bull by the horns for the club. If the youngster can replicate the same kind of form he had for Vitesse, it’ll be of no surprise to see him starting for Chelsea when the Premier League season starts.
