Chelsea: Frenkie de Jong is on the verge of joining but Thomas Tuchel will have a selection headache

How many midfielders is too many? 

Chelsea fans are understandably excited about the prospect of beating Manchester United to the signing of Frenkie de Jong, Barcelona‘s gifted star.

The Blues are reportedly ‘very close’ to agreeing a £68million deal with the Spanish giants for the Dutchman as they aim to steal him away from Premier League rivals United, and there is little doubt he would be a strong addition.

But while there’s merit to the theory that clubs should build on a position of strength, do Thomas Tuchel’s side really need him?

If De Jong arrives, the German will have a selection headache and could well struggle to keep the 10 central midfielders available to him happy.

So how can Chelsea get the best out of him? How can he get the best out of Chelsea? And how can Tuchel juggle his options effectively? Sportsmail analyses the situation…

Chelsea fans are understandably excited about the prospect of beating Manchester United to the signing of Barcelona’s Frenkie de Jong (above) and are ‘very close’ to agreeing a £68m deal

The Dutch star would be a fine addition but would be joining an already-stacked Blues midfield

His arrival would take the club’s number of central midfielders to TEN and may give manager Thomas Tuchel a selection headache and leave him struggling to keep all his stars happy

How can Chelsea get the best out of De Jong? 

The obvious question when considering how De Jong will fit in at Chelsea is where they play him. He has almost always played in a 4-3-3 system, at Ajax and Barcelona – both sides influenced by Johan Cruyff and Rinus Michels’ philosophy.

He is versatile within that formation, capable of playing as a ‘six’ (the deepest and most central of the midfield three, with more defensive responsibility) or an ‘eight’ (one of the more advanced players flanking the ‘six’, with more licence to attack).

De Jong has even at times played as a third centre half, dropping between two central defenders to dictate play from deep. But he has never really played in the 3-4-3 system Chelsea most often adopt.

With the Blues preferring to have a three-man defence and wing-backs, there is room for just two central midfielders, who as a result have a higher physical workload.

That perhaps explains why metronomic playmaker Jorginho – Best FIFA Men’s Player and UEFA Player of the Year in 2021 after inspiring Chelsea to the Champions League and Italy to the Euro 2020 title – at times looks ill-suited to the style of play, forced into ‘grunt work’ rather than manipulating the ball and keeping things ticking over.

De Jong may struggle in Chelsea’s typical 3-4-3 formation – a change of shape might be best

Putting the more gritty and experienced N’Golo Kante alongside him in midfield would ease some of the burden, but it is unclear if he could adapt to the physicality of the Premier League

Putting the more gritty and experienced N’Golo Kante or Mateo Kovacic alongside De Jong would ease some of the burden, but it remains unclear if he could quickly adapt to the relentless physicality of the Premier League.

In pre-season, Tuchel flirted with using a 4-3-3 formation – and unless the German switches to that or brings Mason Mount – a regular starter in attacking midfield – deeper to help out in a 3-5-2 with a midfield trio, a change of shape might be best to maximise De Jong’s impact.

How can De Jong get the best out of Chelsea?

The 44-cap international’s talents are clear: ball retention, passing, close control, dribbling, movement, and much more besides. You can understand why Erik ten Hag and Manchester United are keen on him to upgrade the ‘McFred’ duo consisting of Scott McTominay and Fred.

Barcelona getting rid is not at all about his playing abilities but related to recouping some cash to ease their financial chaos and getting his hefty salary off the wage bill. 

Even if Chelsea retain their 3-4-3 system, you can see how the press-resistant De Jong can help win back and retain possession, camp the opposition in their own half, and unlock stubborn, deep-lying defences with incisive passes.

He offers a unique option in Chelsea’s current group: the dictation of Jorginho, the dribbling of Kovacic, (some of) the defensive nous of Kante, with all the big-game experience they boast too.

At just 25, De Jong could be the heartbeat of the Blues side for the next five years at least. 

But his undoubted talent could see the 25-year-old be the Blues side’s heartbeat for five years

Struggles keeping everyone happy 

Even if you discount the out-of-favour pair Billy Gilmour and Ross Barkley plus teenager Carney Chukwuemeka, and assume Conor Gallagher gets sent out on loan again, that still leaves six players for just two positions in Chelsea’s 3-4-3: De Jong, Kante, Kovacic, Jorginho, Mount and Loftus-Cheek.

Mount may generally be used in a more attacking role and Loftus-Cheek as emergency backup but the first four in that list are all world-class talents at, or close to, the peak of their careers. They will expect to be treated as such.

Regular relegation to the bench will not be easy to swallow for (prospective) big-money signing De Jong, Chelsea’s top midfielder last year Kovacic, potentially the best defensive midfielder in the world Kante or 2021 Ballon d’Or contender Jorginho.

Rotation helps but too much hinders cohesion and familiarity. Tuchel has experience of dealing with a stellar group of star players at Paris Saint-Germain and will need to manage a host of big egos again if his midfield contingent goes into double figures.

Keeping stars like Jorginho (above) happy in such a large group could be very tough for Tuchel

Mateo Kovacic, Kante or Jorginho may lose a sizeable amount of playing time if De Jong signs

What does it mean for Conor Gallagher? 

Like Loftus-Cheek before him, Gallagher catapulted himself into the England squad after a superb loan at Crystal Palace. Selhurst Park proved a perfect place for the 22-year-old to develop last season.

The irrepressible star scored eight and created five goals, and was named the Eagles’ Player of the Year after a superb season. Despite lots of Premier League interest in taking him on loan again, he is keen to fight for his place at Chelsea.

Gallagher’s self-belief is admirable, but coming on in the 99th minute for the final 100 seconds or so, as he did against Everton in the season opener, is not exactly the regular game-time that will boost his chances of being named in England’s squad for the World Cup this winter.

Would a loan move away, back to Palace or elsewhere, best continue his development? Gallagher and Tuchel may reassess if De Jong joins Chukwuemeka in adding to the already-stacked midfield options this summer.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who enjoyed his joint-most prolific season in 2021-22 with 40 appearances as the ‘cover’ option in a midfield quartet of Kante, Kovacic and Jorginho, seems highly unlikely to match that tally given the increased competition. 

Conor Gallagher (left) may now struggle for the game time he wants to give himself the best chance of being named in Gareth Southgate’s England squad for the World Cup this winter

Who else is competing for a place?

Among the six stars not given a squad number for this season are versatile Welshman Ethan Ampadu, plus Gilmour and Barkley.

Ampadu, 21, has spent the last two seasons on loan at Sheffield United and Venezia respectively, while diminutive ball player Gilmour struggled on loan at Norwich last campaign. 

Both need first-team football and could leave on a temporary basis again before the end of the transfer window. Barkley, 28, is surplus to requirements and will leave if a suitable bidder is found.

That’s not to mention outstanding 18-year-old Chukwuemeka, who joined in a £20m deal from Aston Villa this summer. Will he improve on his total of 13 appearances in all competitions from last season? It seems improbable.

Selling Barkley and Loftus-Cheek, loaning out Ampadu, Gilmour and Chukwuemeka, and having Jorginho, Kovacic, Kante, De Jong and Gallagher fighting for the midfield slots could offer enough cover and competition for fighting on four fronts, keeping the players hungry while offering enough protection in case of any injury crisis.

How Tuchel fits the pieces of the jigsaw together is one of the most fascinating questions of this season for the west London side.