5 Chelsea Greats the Club Could Do with Right Now
When we think of Chelsea now, it's the term 'rebuild' that springs to mind.
It's on a manifesto of restoring the team's pride and place in the Premier League that Antonio Conte will enter the fray as the club's new head coach this summer.
We won't see the Italian in west London until after Euro 2016 when Italy's time in the competition comes to an end. That could be as soon as Monday when the Azzurri face Spain, but if they continue to progress in the competition, Conte may not arrive until the second week of July—just a month before the new campaign starts.
Conte has a good foundation to start rebuilding Chelsea. He has some talented individuals in his squad—think Willian, Eden Hazard, Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa—while the youth team continues to produce some exciting prospects.
What Conte lacks is some real leaders to help speed things up and offer advice at times of need. The manager's missing some older, more experienced heads who can inspire those around them; he's missing legends.
With that in mind, which Chelsea greats who are still active in the game could offer Chelsea strength in their time of need? Here, Bleacher Report identifies five.
Petr Cech
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Petr Cech remains one of the Premier League's finest goalkeepers. In fact, he remains one of the finest stoppers in European football.
Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich allowed Cech to join Arsenal last summer because he was no longer willing to sit out the rest of his career on the bench, while the Blues were putting the future first by placing their faith in Thibaut Courtois as their No. 1.
Much like the recent European Union referendum result, it all seemed like a good idea at the time. When the reality of the repercussions hit, a sense of regret swept through Stamford Bridge.
The sight of Cech helping Arsenal to finish as runners-up to Leicester City was a big part of that—especially as Chelsea struggled all season. Time and again he proved the Gunners' saviour at big stages of the season and had it not been for their shortcomings elsewhere, Cech would have probably been picking up a fifth Premier League winners' medal.
There were times when Courtois struggled last season. He had a long injury lay-off and was also sent off twice. When he was out of form, Guus Hiddink didn't show the same sort of faith in Asmir Begovic as he would've done with Cech.
It meant Courtois couldn't catch a break. The Belgium international has only recently turned 24 and is still young, so having a big figure like Cech around would only have been a benefit.
Arjen Robben
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He's the wrong side of 30 now and a much different player from the explosive winger we saw in west London from 2004 to 2007.
Those three seasons with Arjen Robben on the right or left flank were a memorable time for Chelsea fans. The Blues won the back-to-back Premier League titles, two League Cups and also the FA Cup in that period.
Had it not been for some tough luck in the Champions League, they may well have won that on a couple of occasions. Instead, it was at the semi-finals where they twice fell to Liverpool.
Robben was a big part of how Jose Mourinho's side played. He allowed for devastating counter-attacks and not only did he produce goals, he scored them.
The Robben of 2016 can't compete in the same way, but he still has so much to offer. Where Chelsea are lacking now is the strength of their bench. Conte needs players who can impact games at key moments to turn things around, which they simply don't have enough of.
Robben would be ideal for that. He still has his pace—admittedly he's not as quick, but is quick enough—and his know-how in the final third would prove a massive asset to this Chelsea side in its current state.
David Luiz
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Say it through gritted teeth, but David Luiz would be ideal for Chelsea right now. That doesn't mean the club were wrong to sell him when they did, though.
The Blues were handsomely paid to the tune of £50 million when Luiz joined Paris Saint-Germain in 2014 and the money that summer was used toward the transfers of Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa. We know how that has gone.
If we're talking about former players who could strengthen Chelsea in the here and now, though, there aren't many more who could slot right into the starting lineup.
Luiz has shown with PSG that he is a talented defender. He can be erratic, but there's a sense he has matured in France. Ignoring his Ligue 1 form, a better barometer is what we've seen in the Champions League. Just ask Chelsea fans, who have seen him dump their club out of Europe in the last two seasons.
He has a lot to his game. Luiz is a talented footballer and with a leader alongside him—such as Thiago Silva and formerly John Terry—he can be bossed into position and remain disciplined.
Not only that, he is a great character. The sight of him on Chelsea's open-top bus after their 2012 Champions League win was a memorable one. Grabbing the microphone, he led the singing and calling out to his thousands of "geezers" who were celebrating.
He understood the Chelsea culture and that side of him is still missed today.
Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba
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Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba come as a pair to close out this article. Not because they're similar players or would offer particular strengths on the pitch, but more because they are the sort of statesmen missing at Stamford Bridge right now.
Chelsea have John Terry for another year, but who else can they call upon to rally the dressing room and guide the younger players?
We're not talking about the rising academy players in that instance, either; the focus is on the likes of Eden Hazard and Cesar Azpilicueta. They're the key figures at Chelsea now, but they lack the commanding quality that Lampard and Drogba had.
It's by no means a criticism of Hazard, but he's too withdrawn as a voice in this Chelsea team. He focuses on his game and doesn't drive others on. To do the opposite is what we call leadership and the Blues don't have enough of it right now.
Lampard and Drogba left Chelsea when the time was right as players. They're competitive enough that they wanted to keep playing football until the time when their bodies would no longer allow. The standard isn't the same as the Premier League, yet they're doing just that in Major League Soccer. Had they remained at Chelsea, they simply wouldn't be playing.
As characters and figureheads, though, Chelsea should never have left them leave without being replaced properly. When the proverbial hit the fan last season in the way it has done so many times before at Stamford Bridge, it was a lack of leaders that contributed to Chelsea's demise.
The Blues didn't have enough mettle to get out of the situation and their problems snowballed. There's every chance that with Lampard and Drogba on the scene, Chelsea would have shown more courage in adversity.
How do we know that? Because they did it time and again in the club's colours.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
