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Chelsea yet to solve main transfer issue but Ben Chilwell signing helps
The arrivals of Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech signalled how Chelsea were going to approach this transfer window.
The Blues and their supporters were relieved to see their transfer ban lifted; it meant a return to normality for a club which had been forced into transition. Money is there and they are not afraid to spend it.
The presence of a number of youth players last season - Mason Mount, Reece James and Tammy Abraham among the most notable - earned plaudits from many as Frank Lampard managed to retain their spot in the top-four. It was an achievement, of sorts, in a Premier League campaign like no other.
But there needs to be some perspective to that praise. Chelsea had signed a significant number of youth players across the years and it shouldn't have taken a transfer ban to use them. Perhaps more focus should have been placed on the 28 players who departed on loan last summer compared with the handful who made it through to the first team.
The concern when it came to this summer was how they would use the funds available. Ziyech and Werner arrived, both extremely talented players and excellent additions to Lampard's squad, while constant rumours regarding Kai Havertz suggests they're not done at the top-end of the pitch just yet.
Among all that talk though was relative silence when it came to a defence that desperately needed improvement. Chelsea's 54 goals conceded in the Premier League last season was the highest of any side in the top-half, and considerably more than the others who made up the rest of the top-four.
The defensive issues that were there from day one of the Lampard regime were still on display at the end of the campaign. The Chelsea boss knew that; it was a problem that was difficult to address but impossible to ignore.
"In terms of defensively, there is a way that I want us to play and it’s not gung-ho, it’s not crazy," Lampard said after their 3-0 defeat to Sheffield United at Bramall Lane.
"A lot of the goals are the balls that come into our box that maybe we don’t defend right at that moment and that’s something that has to improve and I feel I know the answers to it.
"Some of it is work and that’s something we will see and it’s part of the process we are in. I don’t like it, I hate conceding goals but we have to work harder on it."
That was Lampard's biggest headache throughout the season and it remains their most significant problem as they head into the transfer window, which is surely as important as the work being done on the training ground. Recruits need to come as they attempt to fix a leaky defence, one that could match a potential title-worthy attack at the other end of the pitch.
The impending arrival of Ben Chilwell from Leicester is a big step in the right direction. The 23-year-old has firmly established himself as a key part of the Foxes side and his involvement in the England squad further reinforces his talent level.
The left side of defence has been an issue. Marcos Alonso has struggled for consistency while Emerson Palmieri is expected to depart for Inter - he's made 55 appearances since joining in January 2018.
The real issue comes in the middle though and finding a defender who can lead the back line. Various combinations of Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger, Fikayo Tomori and Kurt Zouma haven't worked, even with formation tweaks to try and address the defensive side of the team.
It's a priority in this transfer window; indeed it's now the most important thing they can do this summer. A central defender needs to come in to reinforce the change at full-back. The question remains, even with those in charge 'feeling' like they know the answer to it, do Chelsea really know what or rather who they want?
An issue with height has been mentioned, but their style of play requires a defender who is strong at the basics while also being confident on the ball.
Lewis Dunk was linked, although he signed a new deal with Brighton to stay at the Seagulls until 2025, while free agent Thiago Silva is also a target following his departure from PSG. Even John Stones has been mentioned as one possibility with his Manchester City future in doubt.
In Dunk and Silva, they'd be getting a more commanding player with defensive solidity over creativity with their feet, whereas Stones was vital to City for a period because of his ability to do things in possession. Defensive mistakes were the main focus of criticism towards him; few would question his competence with the ball at his feet.
The three mentioned are all good passers of the ball, albeit Stones and Silva have perhaps been aided by playing in better teams, and that is one consistency across the names who regularly feature in Paper Talk.
However, the age difference two of the trio and the other is significant. Stones is 26, Dunk 28, and both players provide a longer-term option given how late defenders tend to play in their career. But Silva, at 35, is short-term and Chelsea's tendency to hand out contracts no longer than a year to older players is an issue.
Is it a case of creating long-lasting foundations or papering over the cracks? Talk of a move for Dunk suggested they were intent on properly rebuilding their defence while Silva makes it seem like it's putting the problem off for another 12 months.
It's an area of the pitch which needs improvement and it's clear that Chelsea know that. But with the arrivals of Werner and Ziyech, and the on-going talk of Havertz, it raises questions to just how much of a priority the defensive side of the team is.
Great teams are built on solid foundations. Virgil van Dijk's arrival completed Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool revolution and without him they wouldn't be the side we are used to seeing today.
The excitement around Stamford Bridge will continue to build as new faces arrive for the 2020/21 season. It's now imperative that at least one of those is a central defender if they are to become title challengers once again.