How will Chelsea line up with Aubameyang and Zakaria?
Stuart Telford
- Updated: 1 Sept 2022 22:03 BST
- 3 min read
Chelsea have had a record transfer window, and had already spent €267 million before concluding deals for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Denis Zakaria...
Todd Boehly has replaced Roman Abramovich as the man in charge at Stamford Bridge, and has been good to his word of spending big in the transfer market to bolster Thomas Tuchel's squad.
Wesley Fofana joined on Wednesday in an €87m deal from Leicester - a new world record fee for a defender - and Chelsea had already thrown millions at Manchester City, Napoli and Brighton respectively to acquire Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Marc Cucurella.
How will Tuchel fit all of his new players into a cohesive unit? The new personnel certainly allow him to play his preferred 3-4-2-1 formation, a system he used a variation of in all but four Premier League games last season.
Aubameyang's arrival give the German tactician a much-needed natural striker. Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner haven't worked out - hence they've been allowed to return to Inter Milan and RB Leipzig respectively - while Kai Havertz flatters to deceive as a False 9.
Aubameyang still deadly
Aubameyang worked under Tuchel at Dortmund five years ago, and although the Gabon captain is now 33, he remains deadly in front of goal, concluding last season as Barcelona's 13-goal top scorer despite only joining from Arsenal in February.
Further back, Zakaria is a welcome addition in central midfield. Having N'Golo Kante and Jorginho in there might have been the envy of much of world football a few seasons ago, but both are the wrong side of 30 and Kante is increasingly injured.
Zakaria - a powerful 25-year-old - provides some much-needed cover in an area in which the Blues have been leaning on Mateo Kovacic and greenhorn Conor Gallagher of late.
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At the back, Fofana's signing might have cost a pretty penny, but his arrival solves two problems following the free transfer departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively.
Alongside Koulibaly, he is another centre-back who gives Thiago Silva perfect cover on either side, while his presence also allows Reece James to go back to right wing-back full-time - a boon for FPL players everywhere.
