Gary Neville is spot on with Chelsea transfer message as Liam Rosenior told next three signings

Gary Neville has told Chelsea three positions they need to upgrade during the summer transfer window and the former Manchester United and England defender is spot on

Not too often do Chelsea supporters find themselves agreeing with Gary Neville, who is known to be quite brutal in his verdict on the Blues.

The Sky Sports pundit has caused all sorts of uproar within the Chelsea fan base in recent years, not least with his infamous '£1billion bottle-jobs' comment during the Blues' Carabao Cup final defeat to Liverpool in February 2024.

While Neville can be quite outspoken at times, I'm not sure there can be too many who disagree with the former Manchester United right-back when it comes to his latest assessment of Chelsea. On his Sky Sports podcast, in the aftermath of the Blues' agonising defeat away at Arsenal on Sunday, Neville named the three areas Liam Rosenior's side need to address in the upcoming summer transfer window.

Neville said: "I've never commentated on a team that makes me feel so many different emotions during a single game. You can watch them and think they're naive, they're too nice, they're ill-disciplined or that they're electric, they're a great possession team and they're so talented.

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"You can think so many different things. I flip between thinking they're miles away and thinking if they can get a goalkeeper, an experienced centre-back and an experienced centre-forward, they could be in business.

"They have to keep players fit but they need a top-class goalkeeper, a top-class centre-back with experience and a top-class centre-forward to accompany Joao Pedro and Liam Delap, not to replace them.

"Have three strikers - Joao Pedro is very good, Delap who is young with potential - and then bring someone in. I know that's difficult - these players are not there, but they need a centre-forward with experience.

"I'm not talking about a 33-year-old striker but someone who is 27 or 28 and the same at the back, a player who has real presence who can give them some solidity.

"I'm going to talk about the goalkeeper as well because Robert Sanchez invites problems, every time I watch him, my heart is in my mouth. He flaps at the Arsenal goal, so for me, Chelsea are three players short, they need players in those positions.

"I've got many thoughts about Chelsea and I still can't quite work them out."

Let's start with the goalkeeper. Sanchez has undoubtedly been much, much better this season. His all-round game has improved and he has started to look like the sort of 'keeper Chelsea need.

There has been nothing wrong with the Spaniard's shot-stopping this term but he still needs to improve with the ball at his feet. When coming up against the best teams in the league, the ones that press extremely high, Sanchez can set a nervous precedent for the rest of the team.

That is what he did on Sunday at the Emirates Stadium. There were no surprises, or at least there shouldn't have been, when Arsenal looked to suffocate Chelsea when the visitors were in possession. They targeted Sanchez, the weak link on the ball, and the Gunners found some encouragement by doing that, at least in the first half.

With the way Rosenior wants to play, Sanchez - against these high-pressing sides, at least - is a vulnerability in the Chelsea side. Such has been the improvement of the Spaniard, however, that the goalkeeper position is probably the least pressing out of the three Neville named.

The centre-back position is one Chelsea can upgrade on, there's no doubt about that. In Rosenior's 13 matches in charge, 15 goals have been conceded and the Blues have only managed three clean sheets.

Trevoh Chalobah has been an ever-present figure at the heart of the Chelsea defence this season, under both Rosenior and Enzo Maresca. The 26-year-old is clearly someone managers, or head coaches, can trust but there is a feeling Chelsea can upgrade on the Cobham graduate. football.london understands the west Londoners will continue their pursuit of an elite-level central defender when the summer transfer window comes around.

The Blues missed out on Jeremy Jacquet in the January transfer window, with the Rennes defender instead agreeing on a move to Liverpool in time for the 2026/27 season. Levi Colwill, who is making great progress in his rehabilitation following the anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury he suffered back in August, remains central to Chelsea's long-term vision and it's understood any addition would be to complement the England international.

As for a central striker, there is no doubting Chelsea need to add depth in that position, especially because Joao Pedro is something in between a No.9 and No.10 at the moment. Emanuel Emegha will arrive in the summer from Strasbourg, with the club having big hopes for the Netherlands international, but Neville wants someone more proven.

That is one thing I do not necessarily agree with Neville on. And it is something Chelsea are unlikely to do with their existing model - a model the club will not budge on unless there is an opportunity in the market.

When Victor Osimhen was available to sign from Napoli a couple of summers ago, the Blues were willing to make an exception regarding their wage structure, though the Nigerian wanted too much and Chelsea did not see the value in them agreeing to pay the striker what he was demanding.

Either way, Stamford Bridge officials are set for a really busy summer transfer window. You could make a case for every position in the squad being addressed, whether that's simply adding depth or the club looking to upgrade on their current options.

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