Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel will be given £200 million to spend this summer to close the gap to Premier League contenders Manchester City and Liverpool. Elsewhere, Arsenal will prioritise signing a striker this summer, Tottenham Hotspur eye Europa League winner Filip Kostic as their first signing of the window and Aston Villa plan to pip rivals to signing of free agent James Tarkowski.
CHELSEA SET FOR SUMMER SPENDING SPREE
Chelsea will receive significant backing in the summer transfer market under their new ownership, according to the Telegraph. Ted Boehly and his consortium are set to hand Blues boss Thomas Tuchel £200 million to spend this summer in order to compete with Manchester City and Liverpool next season. Chelsea will target centre-backs Jules Kounde and Josko Gvardiol after the exits of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. The west London club are also considering a shock move for Raheem Sterling, who is currently contemplating his future at Manchester City.
Paper Round’s view: Chelsea finished 19 points behind Premier League champions Manchester City. Tuchel’s title challenge was over before Christmas, and it ended up being a pretty disappointing campaign due to two domestic cup final defeats to Liverpool – both on penalties. It will be a huge ask to compete with City and Liverpool. The pair are up there as two of the best club sides English football has seen. However, £200 million worth of investment will certainly help. Chelsea’s recruitment has been mostly impressive in recent years – so it will be an interesting summer ahead.
ARSENAL PLAN SUMMER BUSINESS
Arsenal have made it a priority to sign a new striker this summer and have made Gabriel Jesus their number one target. The north London club also have Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Alexander Isak Tammy Abraham, Lautaro Martinez, Victor Osimhen, Gianluca Scamacca and Adam Hlozek on their striker shortlist. The Athletic also reveal that the Gunners are in the market for a centre-midfielder and a left-sided centre-back. Youri Tielemans and Ruben Neves are potential options in midfield, while winger Cody Gakpo and full-back Aaron Hickey are on the club’s radar too.
Paper Round’s view: If we learnt anything from the past season, it’s that Arsenal are severely lacking squad depth. Mikel Arteta has done a good job of clearing out the deadwood and getting rid of players that he doesn’t see as part of the club’s long-term future. However, it left the Gunners very short when key players suffered injuries. It’s going to be even more demanding next season with Europa League football – so Arsenal will need to have another busy summer. They will need at least two new strikers, a centre-midfielder, full-back and winger. Good luck to Arteta and the rest of the recruitment team.
TOTTENHAM TARGET FIRST SIGNING OF THE SUMMER
Tottenham Hotspur manager Antonio Conte has identified Eintracht Frankfurt’s Filip Kostic as an option to upgrade at wing-back. The Europa League winner has just one year remaining on his contract at Frankfurt and is expected to be allowed to leave the German club this summer. The Bundesliga club value Kostic at around £12 million and have also received interest from Jose Mourinho’s Roma. Conte also sees Burnley’s Maxwell Cornet as a potential target and could be tempted to raid the recently-relegated club.
Paper Round’s view: Conte values his wing-backs very highly in his system and he needs to be able to trust them. We have seen the Italian bring in new wing-backs at nearly every club he has joined – so it was always expected to happen at Spurs. The report believes Sergio Reguilon’s time in north London is over, so expect Kostic to come in as a replacement. Cornet is viewed as another option who can also offer the versatility of playing in attack or at wing-back. Spurs desperately need squad depth and we should expect them to add plenty this summer ahead of next season.
VILLA TABLE HUGE TARKOWSKI CONTRACT OFFER
Aston Villa will be hoping to pip their rivals to the signing of free agent James Tarkowski when he leaves Burnley this summer. The Mail reveal that Steven Gerrard’s side have tabled a contract worth £120,000 per week – double his contract at Burnley – in a bid to beat Everton and Fulham to the signing. Everton have offered Tarkowski a deal worth £90,000 per week, which gives Villa the edge in negotiations. The Midlands club are also targeting a new forward and another midfielder after completing the free transfer of Boubacar Kamara earlier this week.
Paper Round’s view: Tarkowski will be one of the big names set to leave Burnley this summer following their relegation from the Premier League. The England international has proven he is of Premier League quality over a number of years now and it is surprising that he is still at Burnley now. His next move will be an important one. Tarkowski will need to join a club that promises him first-team football so he can prove himself to be part of a team that is challenging for a top-half finish. He might find that at Everton rather than Villa due to the partnership of Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa.
