Richarlison Chelsea failure helps £71m Thomas Tuchel attacking plan with huge pre-season test

Richarlison joining Spurs might not be the most comforting news for those of a Chelsea persuasion. Antonio Conte is getting the signings he craves ahead of an important season where even lofty shouts of a title bid are being sounded from North London, which is never good.

Though across London, this news may quietly be greeted by one Kai Havertz.

Havertz, who currently is placed as the most likely name to be favoured as Thomas Tuchel's centre-forward, might have wondered what the plans were for the upcoming season should a reported late hijack for Richarlison had come off.

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Instead, it looks more likely that Chelsea will be bringing in wide attackers, with both Raheem Sterling and Raphinha in talks with the Blues.

This should aid Havertz's chances of finally getting a clear run at being the fully-fledged number nine that was put off course by last year's arrival of Romelu Lukaku. Now that the Belgian has secured his loan back to Inter Milan for the season, Havertz is unlikely to face the same wrestle for minutes.

Pre-season officially starts over the weekend at Cobham as the first batch of players return. Havertz will not be back until the 9th of July, with internationals getting a further rest after the extended UEFA Nations League commitments last month.

But in LA, when Havertz does join up, he will embark on what could prove a pretty defining season at Stamford Bridge. The German has already contributed to some historic moments in Chelsea history, most obviously, the Champions League-winning goal that will unlikely be topped. However, with the need for attacking improvement, Havertz is likely to be relied upon to lead that