Chelsea 2016-17 season review: Results, roster changes, and 2017 summer transfer targets

In a way, everybody saw it coming. There was simply no way that Chelsea, with a squad that strong, could fail to bounce back from last season’s miserable weirdness. Without the distraction of Europe, and with a new manager in place, they would almost certainly put together a decent campaign. A cup run, perhaps. They might even squeak back into the top four.

What most didn’t predict — and if you did, well done, aren’t you clever — was that Chelsea would tear the Premier League to ragged pieces and install themselves as champions-elect by Christmas. The big players played up to their reputations, the squad players surpassed theirs, and the Antonio Conte’s impact was so profound that even dear old Arsene Wenger started experimenting with three at the back.

Pretty much everything, at least from October onward. After a shaky opening to the season culminated in back-to-back defeats against Arsenal and Liverpool, Conte tore his team up and started again. With wingbacks. With a back three. With Wigan’s Victor Moses, Sunderland’s Marcos Alonso, and Comedy’s David Luiz in positions of critical importance.

Still, if it felt like a bit of a gamble at the time, 13 straight league wins soon made it clear that Conte knew what he was doing. The formation shift liberated Eden Hazard, meant nobody had to pretend John Terry was still relevant, and reminded the world that Luiz is actually pretty good. It also delivered Chelsea their fifth league title. They’ve got an FA Cup final to come.

But even if Chelsea had slipped up in the late stages of the season, Conte’s restorative work would have made this a successful season. After all, his job wasn’t just to make the team better; much of this squad won a title just two seasons ago. It was to restore optimism, focus, and some kind of identity after last season’s fractious collapse. And that box had been ticked by Christmas.

We can probably ignore the first six games of the season. After that ... well, hardly anything? You could, if you were being hyper-critical, note that Chelsea didn’t keep that many clean sheets in the second half of the season. You might wonder about the losses to Tottenham and Manchester United, and if they showed that Chelsea can be outplayed in the case of the former, or out-thought in the case of the latter.

But you’d be nitpicking. Even Diego Costa’s reported unhappiness didn’t manifest on the pitch. Well, it did, but it didn’t keep him from scoring. When a team has the luxury to make symbolic, tear-stained substitutions in the 26th minute of the final game of the season, you know it’s been an acceptable campaign.

Of all the teams in the league, Chelsea have the most to look forward to. They have the best team, they have plenty of the best players, they have a manager who has turned many frowns upside down. Now all they have to do is do it again, but more so, and with a decent showing in Europe as well ...

... easy-peasy, right?

There has never been a football team that couldn’t be improved, and with a European campaign coming up next season, Chelsea’s title winners will be looking to add depth and options. There are several players without obvious backups in the squad, most notably Alonso on the left flank, and the departure of Terry leaves room for some defensive cover in the middle as well.

Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk has been heavily linked with Chelsea for several months, though he presumably would come at a steep price. It wouldn’t be any huge surprise to see Chelsea try and get involved in the inevitable feeding frenzy that will take place at Monaco this summer. Left-sided defender Benjamin Mendy and midfielder Tiemoué Bakayoko would seem to be favourites.

We can probably expect Chelsea to make inquiries about the availability of Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez as well. Partly because he’d be a seriously terrifying purchase, but mostly just to be annoying.

The other big question surrounds the future of Diego Costa. If he does head off to China to earn a squillion dollars a minute — and who could blame him? — then Chelsea will need at least one and maybe two new strikers. Michy Batshuayi didn’t play much football this season and, although he scored the goal that sealed the title, might find himself heading out on loan.

The two most eye-catching names from the rumour mill are Everton’s Romelu Lukaku and Real Madrid’s Álvaro Morata. The former has the advantage of being well-accustomed to, and prolific in, the Premier League; he might also have something of a point to prove, given he only got 10 games for Chelsea last time he was at the club. But the latter comes with experience at both Juventus and Real Madrid, and might might also be a little cheaper. Buying within the Premier League can get a bit silly.

Alternatively, Chelsea might decide to ignore the transfer market completely and make use of some of their loan players ... wait, why are you laughing? Come back!