Before the commencement of this season, majority of the pundits opined against Chelsea defending the title they romped home with last season. The Blues swept aside all challenges en route to the title in Antonio Conte's first season, but as things stand, it looks like their inability to sign their prime targets in the transfer window so far will lead to their downfall this term.
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Conte's first choice centre-back signing was Leonardo Bonucci, who went to Milan and Chelsea instead signed Rudiger. They even preferred Lukau over Morata but lost the former to Manchester United.
Not just that, the Italian wasn't even happy with Matic's departure, who might have been shielded their fragile defence after Cahill's sending off. With shortcomings of such magnitude in the former half of transfer window, the defending champions need to finish on a high in the market come 31st August.
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One of their first priorities should now be to sign a top-class centre-back, preferably Virgil van Dijk, who Liverpool are desperately trying to add to their ranks. While the addition of just a centre-back might not transform this team into a finished product, it definitely will improve a back-line, which looked in all sorts of trouble against Burnley.
They will also hope that Eden Hazard and Tiémoué Bakayoko make their respective returns from injury as soon as possible.
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Only two defending Premier League champions have lost their opening match:Leicester (2016/17)Chelsea (2017/18)No one saw that coming. pic.twitter.com/fOurNvsmcr
Sankalp is a veteran European and international football writer at Sportskeeda. He has a total experience of 8 years, having previously worked for some top companies such as Wisden India and Fox Sports Asia. An engineer by qualification, Sankalp places a very high emphasis on accuracy by leaving no stone unturned in his research, and prides himself on showcasing the human aspect of the sporting world.
Sankalp has had the privilege of interviewing senior Indian cricketers such as Jasprit Bumrah, Mohammed Siraj, Bhuvaneshwar Kumar and Chris Woakes in his experience so far. He has also covered various Indian and international matches, such as the 2019 ICC ODI World Cup when working for FOX.
Sankalp started following football after watching the 2002 FIFA World Cup with his family. He is a die-hard Manchester United supporter, who started following the club due to David Beckham. His favorite manager is Sir Alex Ferguson and favorite player is Lionel Messi, both for setting unattainable benchmarks. He considers Barcelona’s incredible 6-1 second leg comeback win in the 2016-17 UCL against Paris Saint-Germain as one of the most iconic matches ever.
Along with European football, Sankalp also follows the Indian Super League. When not writing, Sankalp enjoys traveling and watching sports.
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