Chelsea should sign one of Sergio Aguero and David Villa along with French international Franck Ribery to beef up their side for next season, believes their former defender Jason Cundy.
Speaking exclusively to Goal.com UK, Cundy said he hopes top new signings will be supplemented by the pick of Chelsea's promising academy youngsters in next season's squad, but that the experienced nucleus of the team must remain in place, despite recent speculation linking Frank Lampard with a move abroad.
"I'd like to see a frontman," said Cundy, "a David Villa or Sergio Aguero type player, someone with something a bit different, who can maybe play off the front man, whether it be Didier (Drogba) or Nicolas (Anelka)."
Cundy, who represented the Blues between 1988 and 1992, is looking forward to the return of Michael Essien, who "will bring some energy and pace in the middle," but added that the Ghanaian would benefit from a creative foil. "I'd like to see a bit of pace in the middle of the park," he said.
"I think we lack pace sometimes, we can be a little slow to react and when we counter-attack teams can regroup quite quickly against us. Someone like a Ribery - or Arjen Robben, though he won't come back of course - who can travel 30 or 40 yards with the ball, at pace."
With his contract set to expire at the campaign's end, doubts remain over Joe Cole's future at Stamford Bridge. Cundy is concerned and thinks he may have missed his chance to fill the creative role for Chelsea and, with the World Cup fast approaching, England too. "Joe Cole is a surprising one," he said, “but he's really struggled this season, partly because of injuries which have meant he's struggled to hold down a first-team spot, and if he can't do that then obviously his World Cup ambitions are going to be severely dented as well."
Cundy has observed the club's academy products at close quarters, having covered their progress in his role with Chelsea TV, and sees a few with the potential to step up. He thinks this may tempt Carlo Ancelotti to move on some of the many 30-somethings in the camp. "I think Chelsea have one or two youngsters that can perhaps fill some boots," he said.
"There's Jeffrey Bruma for example. The question is, can he come in and replace (Ricardo) Carvalho? I think he probably can. He's an excellent talent and he could easily become our third or fourth centre-back, as Ivanovic can play there too.
"There's possibly a space to be freed up with someone like Carvalho, who's had a lot of injuries and might want to move on. Belletti's contract is up at the end of June, so you'd have to consider him as a man who’ll move on."
Frank Arnesen was expensively recruited from London rivals Tottenham Hotspur in 2005 to oversee youth development and despite his optimism over the long-awaited fruits of his labours, Cundy warns that results are now expected. "It takes time to happen, but he's been there a while, and there comes a time when the talking has got to stop, and you've got to start delivering," said Cundy.
"There's a couple like Bruma, (Patrick) Van Aanholt, the left-back, and young (Fabio) Borini, who is that type of player I was talking about to play off the big man. He's not quite ready. And of course Gael Kakuta, who has bags of ability in the middle of the park, and don't forget Michael Mancienne, who's been out on loan at Wolves. Jack Cork has had glowing reports about him from his loan spells. Realistically, Bruma and Kakuta are probably the ones who are good enough to step up at this stage, with Mancienne maybe able to fill a place in the squad."
Nevertheless the TalkSPORT host was quick to praise the contribution of the senior squad members to the champions-elect's title push. "I don't think there's any need for wholesale changes (in the summer)," he said. "I really don't. Didier's here to stay, as is Nicolas Anelka."
Cundy stressed it is imperative that midfield lynchpin Lampard stays at the club, in the wake of rumours linking him with a move to Inter Milan, or even Real Madrid should his former coach Jose Mourinho switch to the Bernabeu.
"I know there's been a lot of speculation over Frank, and if a club tables a £30m-£40m bid, then it gives the club something to think about," admitted Cundy. "But when he's in the form he's continued to be in this season, how do you replace him? I wouldn't let him go."
Cundy, whose also turned out for Tottenham and Chelsea's FA Cup final opponents Portsmouth during his playing career, was keen to eulogise Ancelotti's influence at Stamford Bridge. He firmly believes that the Italian's personality is finally allowing Chelsea to step out of the not-insignificant shadow of the Mourinho era. "This is a different Chelsea side," stressed Cundy. "There are two ways of playing 4-3-3; as a 4-5-1 when we lose possession and 4-3-3 on the attack, but he tends to go in search of that next goal. There have been games this season when Chelsea have been 3-0 up at half-time and we've gone on to win the game 7-0 or 7-1."
The safety-first tactics of Mourinho's sides have now been firmly consigned to the past, he said. "I remember under Jose (Mourinho), if we were 3-0 up at half-time, we'd get to full-time and it would still be three or four nil," remembered Cundy. "I think Ancelotti's work ethic is to say 'let's continue looking for goals, don't slack and don't be happy with just three-nil'. That's definitely something he's brought to Chelsea in a very short time, and it's a different Chelsea to that which people are used to seeing."
Cundy thinks the former AC Milan coach has already carved his name in the club's annals. "For the team to score more goals than any other time in their history in his first season tells you everything you need to know about how he wants to play the game."
