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Three fringe players that could break into Antonio Conte’s Chelsea side next season
It’s not been the worst season as far as Antonio Conte and Chelsea are concerned over in South London, with their first Premier League title for two years secured in relatively rampant fashion.
After a disappointing campaign in 2015/16, the arrival of the Italian sparked a new era at Stamford Bridge and since then his side haven’t looked back, playing exceptionally good and tactical football.
Winning the title by seven points is no mean feat considering the calibre of the other top-six teams around him, and Conte will now want to push on and challenge on a European front next season.
Missing out on the league and FA Cup double last weekend against Arsenal will leave a bitter taste in the mouth for a short period, but it shouldn’t detract from an excellent first years’ work in London.
The Boot Room looks at the players that could breakthrough into the Chelsea first-team next season.
1) Michy Batshuayi
Perhaps the most obvious squad player vying for a regular spot in the first-team is up-and-coming young Belgian striker Michy Batshuayi.
Signed from French side Marseille for a shade over £32 million last summer, it’s been a season of very few opportunities for the 23-year-old who has only managed one Premier League start all year.
The other 19 appearances have come in cameo appearances off of the bench and, although he hasn’t done enough to replace the seemingly indispensable Diego Costa, signs of promise are there.
Despite playing just 354 minutes in the top-flight this entire season, without Batshuayi’s five goals Chelsea would have dropped six points and have been made to sweat more for their league victory.
There’s no doubt that the Belgian has a prolific edge in front of goal, instinctively knowing where to be inside the box – his poacher’s goal to seal the Premier League title late on at West Brom showed this – and, given a decent run of first-team football, he could develop into a really promising player.
With reports that Costa may not be at Stamford Bridge next season, potentially returning to Atletico Madrid in native Spain, the stage could be set for Batshuayi to make his mark in England next year.
2) Kurt Zouma
Although since Antonio Conte’s switch to three men at the back this season Chelsea’s back line has simply been impregnable, Kurt Zouma could become the next man in line to break through.
After being at Stamford Bridge since the switch from Saint Etienne three years ago Zouma’s big break in the side came at the beginning of last season under previous manager Jose Mourinho, becoming one of his preferred players at centre-back before his horrific season-ending injury.
By the time he had recovered Conte had already established his firm back-three of Gary Cahill, Cesar Azpilicueta and David Luiz though, leaving the 22-year-old frustrated and on the side-lines this year.
Nine Premier League appearances has seen him eased back into top-flight action after hyper-extending his knee, and it’s clear to see that Conte still values him as part of the future in some way.
With Cahill 31-years-old and arguably nearing the end of his career in the upcoming few years, Zouma is the man touted to be the man to succeed him in the heart of Chelsea’s defensive line.
It’s not hard to see why either, with his pace and power providing such an asset against the pace of the Premier League’s strikers whilst there’s a sense of leadership beginning to grow in the youngster.
With Chelsea challenging in four competitions next season it’s likely that Zouma will get more and more first-team action, and if he can impress Conte then it can only be a good thing for his future.
3) Bertrand Traore
One of a number of Chelsea players that have spent the last 12 months out on loan at clubs across Europe, Bertrand Traore has spent his year spear-heading Ajax to the Europa League final.
Brought into the Chelsea academy seven years ago as a youngster, the now 21-year-old has spent the previous three seasons out on-loan in Holland to gain vital first-team experience.
After signing a three-year deal at Stamford Bridge last summer Traore was again sent out, this time to big club Ajax, and the winger hasn’t looked back in a season of impressive and consistent displays.
Nine goals in 23 Eredivisie appearances, allied with four goals and four assists in just 13 Europa League matches, shows just how impactful Traore can be in the final third, and the pure pace and willingness to run at the opposition defence means that he can be a potent weapon in any side.
In a competitive English top-flight he also possesses a magic first-touch needed to get out of tight situations, able to use either his right or left foot to glide past his man and continue on the attack.
Playing in a front three at Ajax this season also means that he’s accustomed to playing in the same system that Conte has made his own at Chelsea, and this can only be a good thing for the future.
It’s likely that he could endure one more season out on-loan before Antonio Conte decides to test his metal in the Premier League, but at just 21 years old there’s no doubt that he carries a lot of promise.
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