How could Chelsea look in the 2013-14 Premier League?

Marco Van Ginkel: Does it make sense?

Other strong rumors are of Marco Van Ginkel. The Vitesse Arnhem midfielder has been hyped up as the next big thing in Dutch football recently and that many big clubs are fighting for his signature. Chelsea are the club linked to him the most in the papers. If the signing goes through, it will surely not add anything to the 2013-14 campaign as he is only 20-years-old and will most probably be loaned out. Frenchman, Kondogbia is also rumored as Mourinho’s option in defensive mid. But with Mikel and Romeu already in similar mould of quality, there is very less chance of this signing happening.

Mourinho came to Chelsea from Real Madrid. Naturally, many of Real’s players will be linked with a move to London. While Higuain is thinking in an other direction of London, the likes of Alonso, Khedira, Varane and Di Maria have been linked to West London. No, not QPR. Certainly, none of those players, except Khedira have a chance of leaving Spain. Khedira too is an eccentric possibility, but a perfect one. Khedira would provide a lot of options in the midfield and is versatile enough to be used in many roles.

The 2013-14 Season

Unquestionably, there would be a big article on this subject in coming months. But for now, lets just evaluate what has been established till now in this article. The 25 man Chelsea squad for the next season could look something like this.

Goalkeepers : Cech, Blackman, New signing

Defenders : Terry, Luiz, Ivanovic, Cahill, Omeruo, Azpilicueta, Wallace, Cole, Bertrand, New Signing

Midfielders : Mikel, Essien, Ramires, Lampard, Romeu, New Signing

Attacking Midfielders : Mata, Hazard, Oscar, Marin, Moses, Schurrle

Strikers : Torres, Lukaku, Ba

The Premier League rules state that the 25 man squad should be submitted after the summer transfer window has 8 slots for homegrown players, 17 for overseas players and an unlimited number U21 players.

So, barring the U21 players, and adding the new signings, assuming they are not homegrown and above 21 years of age, Chelsea will have 22 players who can be registered for the 2013-14 season until the January transfer window. There is room for one more new player, and if any of the new signings are homegrown, Chelsea have enough slots to maintain 3 full teams at a time.

The Champions League squad registration is much more complex than this and will be dealt with in detail on a later date. As the new dawn approaches at Stamford Bridge, Mourinho, with his young brigade will march down the tunnel to face the newly promoted Hull City. Expect a colosseum-esque atmosphere. For now, peace.