Chelsea on Football Manager 2023: 10 tips for a new save
By Tom Gott
It's a new era at Chelsea following the departure of Roman Abramovich, making this the perfect time to take charge of the Blues on Football Manager 2023.
With a delicate mix of win-now demands and long-term strategy to balance, succeeding at Chelsea isn't going to be easy and there's a lot of work which needs doing upon your arrival.
Here are ten things to sort out as soon as possible.
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1. Address the expiring contracts
There are some massive players approaching the final 12 months of their contracts at Stamford Bridge, so you need to act quickly.
N'Golo Kante, Jorginho and Thiago Silva are the three regular starters who are nearing free transfers, so you need to make a decision on all three.
Kante will actually accept a small drop from his current £300,000-a-week salary, but you need to work out whether that much money for a 31-year-old is really worth it.
2. Look ahead to 2024
Prior planning is key here as Chelsea are just one year away from sleepwalking into yet another contract mess.
Expiring in 2024 are: Mason Mount, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Cesar Azpilicueta and Christian Pulisic. And breathe.
There are some big names there - some valuables ones, too - so make your decisions on this group quickly.
3. Find a young striker
At 33, Aubameyang isn't your long-term striker. You are going to get Romelu Lukaku back from his Inter loan next summer, but he'll be 30 and obviously heading towards the end of his prime.
Armando Broja is a nice young option, but you'll need to dip into the transfer market to find someone.
Palmeiras starlet Endrick is an obvious starting point, while Dortmund's Youssoufa Moukoko isn't expensive if you can catch him before he signs a new contract.
4. Start the midfield rebuild
Chelsea's midfield is old. There's no other way to say it. Jorginho and Kante are both over 30, while Kovacic is approaching 29, so it's time to bring in some youth.
Signing some new players is always a possibility but you simply cannot block the pathways of both Carney Chukwuemeka and Cesare Casedei, who are sitting in your Under-21s with sky-high potential.
Both are still more than a little raw, but get them involved with the first team and start drip-feeding the minutes.
5. Be patient for a goalkeeper
First things first, decide between Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy. You've got two expensive stoppers and one of them is undoubtedly going to waste.
In FM23, Mendy is your starter so try cut ties with Kepa, either on loan or permanently, and let the Senegal international keep guard of your goal for the next few years.
By the time Mendy starts to regress, you'll have a young sensation by the name of Gabriel Slonina pushing for minutes. The American is among the game's top talents and looks destined to become a FM star.
6. Bolster out the backroom
Co-owner Todd Boehly has overseen a major remodelling of the behind-the-scenes cohort at Stamford Bridge and there are some gaping holes which need plugging.
Currently, there is no director of football, technical director, chief scout or head physio on the books. It's up to you if you want the first two, but chief scout and head physio are must-hires.
While we're here, a lot of the scouts could be improved. Don't be afraid to be ruthless, it's a new era.
7. Get a new assistant manager
Billy Reid has obviously worked wonders under Graham Potter in real life, but he's not going to cut it on FM23.
Reid has a 14 for People Management but just 13 for Judging Player Potential and 8 for Judging Player Ability. You're going to need more than that.
Spend some time looking for the right candidate, because this is a big decision.
8. Find better coaches
Chelsea's coaching staff is distinctly average. The goalkeeping setup is very nice, but in both attacking and defending, you've got nobody higher than a 12 apart from Billy Reid, who we've already established probably isn't staying around.
Former Brighton duo Bruno and Bjorn Hamberg are also pretty low rated in FM23, so there is plenty of room for improvement if you can bring yourself to let them go.
You've got space for two more coaches anyway, so there's a chance to build a real backroom unit.
9. Improve the Youth Recruitment
There's fierce competition for London's top youngsters and so you need to make sure Chelsea are at the front of the queue by improving your youth recruitment.
Neil Bath is one of the best Heads of Youth Development you'll find so you need to give him as much as you can to bring in the next era of superstars.
The Junior Coaching budget can also go up too, because why not?
10. Maximise Kai Havertz
To this day, Kai Havertz's best position remains a mystery. In FM23, he's a natural at both AM and ST, while he's competent on either wing.
He's one of Chelsea's best players with really high potential, so you need to play him often and encourage him to keep growing. Chances are, that means a 4-2-3-1 formation or something similar.
Spend a bit of time looking at his attributes and working out how they fit into your system. You won't regret it.