“Campeones! Campeones! Ole Ole Ole!”- The echoes were heard throughout London when Chelsea beat Bayern on penalties to clinch the ultimate prize; the one trophy that had eluded them, the coveted Champions league crown, had finally been added to the trophy cabinet at Stamford Bridge.
This feat aside, there was always a pressing need which had been stated several times previously; an “ageing” squad had to be replaced, replenished and restored. Add to that the departures of Alex, Bosingwa, Kalou and Drogba, and even a kid could have said that it was going to be a busy summer for Chelsea in the transfer market.
And it did turn out that way. Marin, De Bruyne, Hazard and, most recently, Oscar have joined the Chelsea blue and suddenly the team looks fresher and younger. Still a long time for the window to slam shut and speculation is rife in the media linking Chelsea to many more big money moves. Cavani, Hulk, Schurle and Azpilicueta are a few names that immediately shoot up.
With the acquisitions already made, it’s not difficult to see that the Chelsea think-tank have clearly focused more on strengthening the creative part of midfield. Rightly so, since, barring Ramires and Mata, Chelsea considerably failed in the midfield department last season. The squad lacked depth and the team never really found the best combination. Also, it can be said that Manchester City themselves won the title last season from midfield; Silva, Yaya Toure, Milner, Nasri, and Barry ably carried their team to glory.