The Special One set to return to Stamford Bridge: Who will he bring with him?

The Premier League announced on Sunday that Jose Mourinho is set to return for a second stint as Chelsea manager but the story was later removed. The Portuguese’s return to Stamford Bridge is a much anticipated one and could be officially announced in the next few days. With the Special One back at Chelsea, David Moyes at Manchester United and Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City (not yet confirmed!), the Premier League will witness three new managers fighting for the most watched league title.

Though Chelsea has a strong squad with some exciting attacking talent in Hazard-Mata-Oscar, the squad is far from complete with few problems in the back line and striking options. Ashley Cole is not going to get any younger at 32 and needs regular breaks to stay fit for the whole season. Many doubt whether Ryan Bertrand is the right replacement for Cole and Chelsea need another world class left-back to share Cole’s workload. Mourinho may have an answer to this problem in Fabio Coentrao, his fellow countryman. The rest of the defense line has good options in Gary Cahill, John Terry, Cesar Azpilicueta, Branislav Ivanovic and David Luiz. If Mourinho convinces Raphael Varane, the young and sensational French defender, to join Chelsea, it could prove to be one of the best transfers for Chelsea.

Fernando Torres may be the leading goal-scorer for Chelsea with 23 goals in the 2012/13 season, but 23 goals in a season of more than 60 games may be considered a below-par performance from a 50 million pound striker. Chelsea has other striking options in Demba Ba but he may not be the striker who can give you 30-40 goals every season. Young Romelu Lukaku proved to be a good prospect during his loan stint at West Bromwich Albion and Mourinho will love to bring back Lukaku, who is considered the next-Drogba. Chelsea has no dearth of options in the midfield with Ramires, Romeu, Mikel, Lampard, Moses, Marin, the trio of Hazard-Mata-Oscar and a potential new signing in Andre Schurrle. Mourinho may bring along Xabi Alonso and/or Luka Modric, both proven players in the Premier league with spells at Liverpool and Tottenham respectively.

Many say the past season was the worst season for Mourinho after Real Madrid finished second in La Liga, reached the semifinals in Champions league and reached the finals in the King’s Cup. But he has always been a winner as league titles in four different countries prove. Considered a master tactician, he doesn’t need us to suggest solutions to these squad concerns at Chelsea and he will surely have a plan to deal with them. It is also expected that he will make changes to the coaching staff by bringing in his preferred goal-keeping coach, Silvino Louro. However, this transfer season is not going to be easy for Chelsea, with big money clubs like PSG, Monaco, Manchester City and Real Madrid looking to attract top players with their massive wage structure.

As a Premier League fan, I’m looking forward to the first season in this era without Sir Alex Ferguson and excited to watch the new Chelsea under the Special One.