Pat Nevin: These are the signings Chelsea will make this summer

Pat Nevin is expecting Antonio Conte to significantly bolster his Chelsea squad by adding strength in depth in the summer transfer window.

The Blues have enjoyed a brilliant first season under Antonio Conte at Stamford Bridge following his arrival at the club last summer.

Chelsea are currently flying high at the top of the Premier League table and have built a 10-point lead over closest challengers Tottenham Hotspur.

The west London side look to be on course to secure Champions League qualification for next season after their disastrous 10th-placed finish last term.

That means a host more games for the Blues next term and Conte is likely to want to add to his squad in the summer transfer window in order to be able to cope with the extra load.

And Nevin has urged the Blues to splash the cash on making some key signings in the summer transfer window.

Writing in his column for Chelsea’s website, Nevin said: “The club is continually working on planning ahead for the next season and beyond, but having a good solid period to interact about who the manager wants to acquire going forward is of paramount importance.

“The focus is mostly on trying to win the league and the FA Cup, but there is so much more to the job, so many ideas to juggle and so little time to do it.

“Clearly a little more strength in depth will be added. Every good organisation knows, especially in football, that it is always best to strengthen when you are doing well.

“There are a number of reasons for this. First if you are chasing players out of desperation then poor decisions can be made and you will almost always have to pay a premium on the price for your panic.

“Another important point is that top players are always more likely to sign for a team that is currently successful. Going to a star player and saying you are ‘hopefully’ building something good is fine, but it pales badly in comparison to the promise of him adding something extra to an already winning side.

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“Players want the big bucks, but it then comes down to who is going to give him the best chances to promote himself, allow him to enjoy his football and of course hopefully help him win trophies.”

Chelsea take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon.