Four big Chelsea transfer decisions Thomas Tuchel must make before summer window opens

It's on June 10 that the summer transfer window will officially open. And there is much work for Todd Boehly and Thomas Tuchel to complete to ensure the Chelsea squad is ready to compete come the start of the 2022/23 campaign.

The Blues finished 19 points behind Premier League champions Man City last term, and closing that gap in a single window will not be easy – it may even prove impossible. Yet efforts need to be made to reshape the squad in Tuchel's image. The mish-mash approach to squad building under various head coaches seen during the Roman Abramovich era must end.

Signings are required, especially given Chelsea have lost both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger this summer. And there may well be further departures in the weeks ahead. Some may prove unpopular, maybe even harsh. Others could very well be welcomed by the Blues' fanbase.

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Chelsea must operate with clarity in the transfer market. There can be no hesitancy, given that the first-team squad will be returning for pre-season training in less than a month. So before the summer window officially opens, tough decisions have to be answered. And we have picked out four that need to be solved swiftly.

It is ten years this summer that Cesar Azpilicueta joined Chelsea from Marseille. The Spaniard's signing was unheralded – perhaps because the fee was only £7million – but he blossomed into one of the finest defenders to have played for the club and an excellent captain.

Azpilicueta has won it all with Chelsea; there is no major trophy left for him to claim. It's why he appears open to a new challenge at the age of 32 years old. Barcelona are prepared to offer him that, and it's understood the La Liga giants have put a two-year contract on the table.

However,