5 Chelsea players who need to impress in pre-season

#3 Ross Barkley

Ross Barkley struggled at Aston Villa

Ross Barkley was rated as one of the most talented youngsters at Everton and seemed destined to become a star for both club and country. But the England international has failed to live up to expectations since his move to Chelsea. The 27-year-old was sent on loan to Aston Villa last season after a disappointing spell at Stamford Bridge.

Barkley made a bright start to his loan spell but injuries halted his progress as he was forced to sit on the sidelines and subsequently lost his place in Dean Smith's side. Villa eventually decided against making the loan deal permanent and instead signed Emi Buendia from Norwich City.

Barkley's injury struggles will make it difficult for Tuchel to select him over other players. He will be behind the likes of Mateo Kovacic, N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Mason Mount in the pecking order.

However, Barkley's movement and ability to link-up with the front three could make him a good backup option in the squad. It is not yet known what the future holds for Barkley but he will certainly look to impress Tuchel and revive his football career for both club and country.

#2 Ethan Ampadu

Ampadu had a valuable loan spell at Sheffield United

Ethan Ampadu spent the entirety of last season with relegated side Sheffield United in the Premier League and will be hoping that the valuable playing time he has gained there will put him into serious consideration under Thomas Tuchel.

Ampadu played more than 2,450 minutes in all competitions last season and played in different roles - mainly as a centre-back and in defensive midfield, but also sometimes in central midfield. When compared to other centre-backs, his 4.35 tackles and interceptions per 90 were in the top 5% while his 1.51 carries in the final third per 90 were in the top 4%.

Ethan Ampadu confident that Sheffield United loan helped him develop: https://t.co/jVHOXsr7pV

— #KTBFFH (@ChelseaNewsApp) June 2, 2021

Ampadu's flexibility could prove attractive to Tuchel while setting up his 3-4-3 or 4-3-3 formation next season to plug the holes in midfield and he could also be used as a backup option for Jorginho or any of the centre-backs given the number of games Chelsea could play next season.

It is now up to Amapadu to impress Tuchel in pre-season and make him aware of his skills and prove that he is ready to play at a club like Chelsea.

#1 Malang Sarr

Sarr struggled to make an impact FC Porto

Malang Sarr will also be returning to Chelsea for pre-season after completing his loan spell at Porto. The 22-year-old had joined Chelsea from Nice last summer on a free transfer and was immediately loaned out to Porto.

At Nice, Sarr made over a hundred appearances and was an integral part of the French side's defense. But at FC Porto, he did not see much game time and only made 19 appearances throughout the season, while also playing for Porto's second string side. It was a disappointing loan spell for the youngster, hardly giving him any chance of breaking into the first team at Stamford Bridge.

Fenerbahce offer Chelsea defender Malang Sarr loan transfer after Porto spell https://t.co/NI9kFDch3p

— Sun Sport (@SunSport) June 25, 2021

But with most of Chelsea's first-choice centre-backs not available at the start of pre-season due to their international commitments, Sarr will have a chance to impress Tuchel and with reports of Zouma being linked with a move away from Chelsea, there will definitely be a gap to fill in the centre-back department.