Now that Euro 2016 is over, the focus shifts back to domestic football.
The Premier League season will kick off in just five weeks, with Chelsea facing West Ham United on the opening weekend.
New head coach Antonio Conte has it all to do in that time. Not only will the Italian be taking Chelsea on tours of Austria and the United States in the coming weeks, he is faced with the prospect of having to rebuild a squad that is in desperate need of a shakeup. Chelsea have gaps in defence, while midfield remains a big concern.
As ever, those players who performed well at the European Championship are making headlines, so who would have caught Conte‘s eye?
Ignoring the unattainable players such as Gareth Bale and Cristiano Ronaldo, Bleacher Report looks at three Euro 2016 stars who would fit in well under the new regime at Stamford Bridge.
N’Golo Kante
Leicester City midfielder N’Golo Kante started off as a first-choice selection for France this summer, but as the tournament progressed, he found himself in a supporting role from the bench. It was more to do with the needs of tournament football than a lack of ability on the player’s part, though.
France had to approach games in a different way and as their momentum grew on the back of Didier Deschamps‘ tweaks to the system, Kante was a casualty of the manager not wanting to damage what France were building.
That said, Premier League fans know all about Kante‘s talents. He showed for Leicester last season just how effective he is in the middle of the park, breaking up play and starting attacks. He is even effective in the final third, following the flow of matches to get forward and play a part.
For Chelsea fans, the 25-year-old has the look of a man who can be the heir to Claude Makelele. He is similar in that he rarely loses possession and can anchor the midfield like his compatriot did over a decade ago for the west London club.
That era with Makelele at the heart of midfield was arguably the best Chelsea have been in the Premier League. Jose Mourinho built his team around a physical presence that few could match; with Arjen Robben and Damien Duff on the flanks, the Blues were able to attack teams at pace and punish them.
Conte will set Chelsea up in a different style, although the principles will be the same. He’ll be looking for players who can give the team an edge again and with their shortcomings in midfield last season, the Leicester man could be a solution.
Kante is the man for Conte (we couldn’t resist it).
Ivan Perisic
He wasn’t one of the biggest stars at Euro 2016, yet Croatian midfielder Ivan Perisic received plenty of attention—and not just for his wacky hairstyle.
Perisic showed how effective he can be when teams turn over possession and attack opponents. Spain found that to their detriment in the group stage when the 27-year-old broke free to score Croatia’s winner late on in that game.
Perisic‘s goal won Croatia the group and meant Spain went on to face—and lose to—Conte‘s Italy in the last 16.
Currently at Inter Milan, Perisic fits the bill for what Conte needs in this Chelsea side. Playing in a wide position, he’s unlike the Blues’ other attacking midfielders.
The Stamford Bridge club have a host of No. 10s—or at least players who fancy themselves as such—whereas Conte‘s teams have traditionally used wingers to good effect.
If we’re going to see two strikers leading the line, they will need good service into the box, too. That comes from utilising the wide areas as two front men can mean it’s congested in central areas.
Perisic enjoyed a good first season with Inter last year, which he built on with Croatia this summer. Don’t be surprised to see him attracting the attention of some big clubs in Europe—and perhaps Chelsea.
Ragnar Sigurdsson
The joker in our pack, Ragnar Sigurdsson would hardly have registered on the radar of many scouts heading into Euro 2016.
But if we’re judging players purely on what they achieved in France this summer, the Iceland centre-back wouldn’t be too far from escaping the attention of managers looking to plug the holes in a leaking defence.
Would he be a glamorous signing? Hardly. But would he fit in at Chelsea? There’s a good chance.
What we saw from Sigurdsson this summer was his ability to follow tactics and carry out his manager’s instructions to the nth degree. Iceland’s success was built around solid defensive displays—we’re ignoring the 5-2 crushing by France here—and it was because of the likes of the FC Krasnodar man that they were able to pull it off.
There are many bigger names who grab the attention. Players such as Leonardo Bonucci are the major stars when we consider defenders, yet Sigurdsson has matched them when it comes to his international performances.
No defender made more tackles than Sigurdsson at the Euros, while he also recorded three blocks and 27 clearances in his five games.
That was largely down to the defensive style Iceland deployed, meaning he was called into action more than others. What it equally shows, though, is that he is a capable defender who can compete against the likes of Cristiano Ronaldo, Harry Kane and Wayne Rooney.
Sigurdsson wouldn’t be an immediate first-choice buy for Conte. For a squad that has started with pre-season with just one recognised first-team defender, though, a player such as the 30-year-old could help to bolster numbers.
The big question would be his ability to continue that Euro 2016 form in a more pressurised environment over the course of a season.
Bleacher Report’s lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.
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