Chelsea FC Transfer Needs: Ranking the Blues' Summer Priorities

Watching Chelsea this season, it has become very evident that something isn't right.

Stamford Bridge has been turned from a fortress to a gift shop for the big teams, and the Blues are looking extremely shaky on the road.

What is causing this dip in form?

Is it the new manager trying to bring in his ideas and philosophies, and Chelsea are now in a transitional period?

Or is it just that the teams around them are improving and Chelsea are treading water?

The Blues have always been notorious for splashing cash in transfer windows, and the cash sometimes has not been spent as wisely as it could.

Chelsea need a big shake-up and strengthening in certain areas; this list looks at what parts of the pitch need reinforcements the most.

Get Rid of the Deadwood

Before any players are brought in, some need to be shipped out.

There are players in the Chelsea squad who are just not performing to a level expected when playing for a top European club.

Florent Malouda

Ever since he joined Chelsea in 2007, Florent Malouda has had an up-and-down time. He has shown flashes of brilliance occasionally but has been rightly labelled inconsistent.

This season it has become apparent that he has little more to offer Chelsea, and he needs to be let go so he can further his career.

He is greedy in possession, slows down the movement from defence to attack and loses the ball more times in games than any player I have ever seen. There are other players that can be brought in, and even players already at the club that could do a better job than Malouda at the moment.

John Obi Mikel

Most Chelsea fans that I know and have spoken to would say that Mikel is the weakest link of Chelsea's team. His scoring record alone is enough to show how little he does for the team moving forward.

Although defensive duties are his main objective, it is nice to see a sweeper make attacking balls and move the play from defence to attack as quick as possible. Mikel, although slightly improved, still tends to dawdle on the ball and still seems to enjoy making his famous sideways passes.

He is simply not good enough for Chelsea, and Oriol Romeu has already surpassed him in very department.

Salomon Kalou

His career started in a mediocre fashion, and has just got progressively worse to the point that when I see his number come up to be subbed on, my head goes into my hands.

He is another player that just isn't good enough, and there are youth players who deserve a place in the side more than he does.

Jose Bosingwa

Going forward, Bosingwa can be very effective, but defensively, he doesn't fill me with confidence.

His only decent defensive display in recent memory was in the 3-3 draw against Manchester United, where he played on the opposite side of the back four than he usually does.

I think he is a talented footballer, but Chelsea need someone with more balance between their forward and defensive play.

5. Substitute Goalkeeper

Petr Cech, although not having his best season, is still a quality goalkeeper, and somebody that I like to see protecting Chelsea's goal.

But if he gets injured or banned, his two understudies aren't quite as quality.

Nobody expected much when Ross Turnbull was signed, but they did expect a solid performer, something he has failed to prove he is. He flaps at crosses and has had some absolute howlers in the past.

With Hilario, it is more of an age issue; he is still a good goalkeeper, but he is getting on in years and will surely leave the club soon.

Chelsea did spend some money on a goalkeeper last year on a young Belgian, Thibaut Courtois.

He already looks a very talented player and would be an ideal candidate for Cech's backup. But bringing him back from his loan now would hinder his progress in becoming a top keeper. He is currently Atletico Madrid's first-choice goalkeeper, and this game time can only be doing good for his career. He wants to spend another year in Spain and then perhaps he could return and give Cech some competition for first-team action.

4. Right-Back

If Jose Bosingwa is sold, then Chelsea will need to bring in a right full-back to give some cover to that position if Branislav Ivanovic gets injured.

Although Ivanovic is a solid defender and deserves a place in the team, I would like to see Chelsea sign Gregory van der Wiel. The 24-year-old Dutch defender is currently playing for Ajax, but Chelsea have shown strong interest in him in the past.

He is very fast running down the wing on attacks, is an accurate crosser of the ball and is equally fast when tracking back to help in defence.

He is what the Blues are looking for in a full-back and won't cost astronomical amounts of money.

3. Forward

I still have faith in Fernando Torres; he looks brilliant at times, but his phobia of shooting is a huge problem. Chelsea's only real goal threat at the moment is Daniel Sturridge.

With Torres' inability to play in a wide role, Sturridge is forced to play on the right side of attack, even though he deserves his desired central role on recent performances.

With Didier Drogba leaving in the summer a possibility, someone is going to need to give Torres some competition, or even play in the right-sided role if Sturridge is moved to the centre.

This means Chelsea need to be on the lookout for a player who can play all the way across the front line.

I would hope that in the not too distant future, Romelu Lukaku will fill this role, but I am not sure he is ready to be a regular starter. Chelsea need to bring in an experienced talent who can bring pace and goals to the side.

2. Creative Midfielder

Chelsea are in need of some creativity in midfield; it just simply isn't working at the moment. At first I thought Torres was just making excuses, but he has a point: not many decent passes manage to get through to him.

Juan Mata has helped spark some life into the Chelsea team but they need more from the centre of the pitch to create more goalscoring opportunities for the front men.

Raul Meireles is a good player, but he was a bit of a "bargain bin" buy when the Luka Modric deal went pear-shaped. He does his job, but if Chelsea want to become a top European force again, they are going to need more.

I can't see the Modric deal happening this summer, unless Roman Abramovich is willing to fork out in excess of £50 million again. So Chelsea may need to look elsewhere, but they must find somebody equally as talented as the Croatian.

1. Manager?

I am a believer that a new manager deserves time to bring in his ideas and strategies, but unfortunately for Andre Villas-Boas, Roman Abramovich does not share my patient nature.

This season has been one of Chelsea's shakiest since the Russian took over in 2003. Points are being dropped at home and away, and they don't look like a side that should be challenging for the Premier League title.

When Villas-Boas was brought in with an impressive CV, it was the view of many in the game that this job may be too big of a step for him this early in his career.

This looks like it may be true. AVB needs to turn things around and quickly, or Roman will be sharpening his axe.

If he does get sacked, which is looking increasingly likely, Chelsea will need to bring in a top manager with a proven track record in the Premier League.

Chelsea fans who believe the newspapers will be licking their lips at the prospect of Jose Mourinho coming back to Stamford Bridge. And with him already expressing his desire to leave Real Madrid, it's a possibility...stranger things have happened.