Chelsea have had a season of ups and downs with Xabi Alonso unable to get the Blues to consistently deliver quality performances despite their lack of involvement in Europe this season. They need to bolster their midfield after allowing Enzo Fernandez to join Man City on deadline day and failing to sign a replacement.

The recent knee injury to club captain Reece James has compounded the midfield problems for Alonso as James is likely out until the new year.

As we know Chelsea failed to sign Lamine Camara from Monaco on deadline day. The proposed £47.1million deal fell through at the eleventh hour leaving Alonso with no replacement for the City bound Argentinian World Cup winning Fernandez who was very clear about wanting to join former Blues boss Enzo Maresca at Man City.

Chelsea’s current midfield options

Chelsea’s main man in midfield has to be Moises Caicedo and it’s a case of who plays with the elite Ecuadorian midfielder who is one of the best in the Premier League. Caicedo was a huge miss during his injury earlier in the campaign and the Blues will be delighted he is back to full fitness.

Romeo Lavia has looked decent when he has played and if he can avoid injury he can be a strong option for the club to rely on during the absence of Reece James. Lavia is another product of the Man City academy and has shown he can perform at the highest level.

Reggie Watson who at the age of 16 has impressed at England youth level and made his debut vs Leeds United in the Carabao Cup in September is a composed central midfielder but needs time to develop and bulk up before he can be asked to be a regular contributor to the 1st team.

Valentin Barco has looked a little out of his depth at this level and likely needs more time before the manager can rely on him in big matches.

Jordan Henderson who arrived in the summer on a free transfer from Brentford has shown he still has plenty of games left in him. The ex Liverpool man who has won most things in football including the Champions League, League Cup and the Premier League title is a composed senior pro who showed he still has quality goals in him after bagging two long range crackers in the 5-1 demolition of Bournemouth.

Which former star could return to Stamford Bridge?

A player who rarely put a foot wrong and was a solid performer during his time at the Bridge is current Man City midfielder Mateo Kovacic. The Croatian international has only made 3 League appearances under Enzo Maresca and is finding game time hard to come by after City retooled their midfield with the high profile summer acquisitions of Enzo Fernandez, Elliot Anderson and young Moroccan sensation Ayyoub Bouaddi.

Kovacic knows Chelsea well having spent the best part of 5 seasons and played 221 games for the Blues and at the age of 32 still has plenty to offer. The Croat would be a solid addition to the Chelsea ranks as he is technically strong and could offer Xabi Alonso another reliable and experienced midfield option.

The big plus for Chelsea is Kovacic would likely welcome a return to his old stomping grounds and crucially would not command the kind of fee that revisiting the Lamina Camara deal would involve.

Who might Chelsea also be looking at?

In the longer term Chelsea may well want to pursue the signing of Alex Scott who has been so impressive for Bournemouth and on his England debut but such a move is unlikely to happen before next summer and will be in the £60million range.

Chelsea have also been linked with a move for ex Liverpool man Trent Alexander-Arnold who is not having the best time at Real Madrid under former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho but might be interested in loan move to Stamford Bridge. Trent is a right-back by trade but can be a creative force in midfield too.