The Premier League is well underway, but with the transfer window now closed, where do players stand in their teams? How deep do the squads go?
Chelsea have undergone a massive squad revamp to the tune of over £1 billion over the past three transfer windows ... and it shows. While some established names have departed, to be replaced by players of potential in their late teens or early 20s, the result is a pretty much a blank canvas that is going to give manager Mauricio Pochettino joy and headache in equal measure.
There's some exceptional talent at centre-back, yet, even amid Fofana's long-term injury, there are way too many players in competition for a first-team place. That has been complicated by 38-year-old Thiago Silva -- whose leadership skills are desperately needed on the pitch -- being the least droppable of them all, which inevitably will lead to some youngsters not getting any games.
Pochettino is up against a similar selection dilemma in the centre of midfield. Caicedo, Ugochukwu, Lavia and Fernandez cost a combined £300m in 2023, but it's academy star Gallagher who has started every game this season so far. Having such an impressive array of wonderful young players is considered a luxury, but it can equally lead to unrest and season-long tinkering with selection. The signs so far haven't been good.
Further up the pitch things look slightly less cluttered, but only just. Apart from Broja -- who might not feature in the club's plans at all -- a quality centre-forward is lacking with
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