CHELSEA ARGUABLY OUTSTRIPPED Arsenal and Manchester United this season through greater consistency rather than superior individual talent but the club’s willingness to carry out more formidable squad-strengthening this summer means an ability gap could also open up. Left back, central midfield and striker are areas that might be improved and that view seemed to be backed up yesterday when Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, said he expects the club to sign three new players.

Roman Abramovich has already spent £280 million on new players since buying the club in the summer of 2003 but, with an estimated fortune of 25 times that figure, he has no pressing need to stop just yet. Kenyon is keen to make the club profitable within five years but the acquisition of Ashley Cole, Steven Gerrard and Samuel Eto’o would surely be within their means.

Whether they acquire that trio, or others in their positions, remains to be seen but Kenyon is buoyant. “We are in a good position and confident we have a squad of players that have not reached their potential, so we will be adding to it in a selective manner, and we have enough in our budget to get the players we want,” he said. “We did a lot of activity in terms of getting our squad size right last year, moving 14 players out and bringing seven in. This year it will be a lot less than that. We have a young squad, with an average age of 25, and there’s a few selected positions and that’s it, so it will probably be about three in to maintain a squad size of 24.”

Rio Ferdinand, the Manchester United defender, will apparently not be among them. “We’ve John Terry, Robert Huth, William Gallas and Ricardo Carvalho,” Kenyon said. “This is not about collecting players. We’ve a great squad, although there are a few places we think we can strengthen, but central defence is not one of those areas.”

Chelsea, though, have not made similar public denials concerning Cole, another player whose meeting with Kenyon has caused controversy. The Arsenal left back would improve the team considerably given that to many he is among the world’s best in a position that has caused headaches for José Mourinho.

The manager began the season with Wayne Bridge and Celestine Babayaro contesting the left back position but the Englishman has suffered from injuries and mixed form and the latter has moved to Newcastle United. Gallas often fills in but hinted he would seek a transfer rather than continue there next season. Paulo Ferreira and Glen Johnson have switched there from right back at times and Huth, Alexei Smertin and Damien Duff have also played at left back so Cole ’s arrival would end the uncertainty at a stroke.

Mourinho has seemed unsure of his favoured third midfield player after Frank Lampard and Claude Makelele, a role that Gerrard would fill perfectly. The player is considered a certainty by some to arrive from Liverpool but Chelsea are also thought to be interested in Xavi Hernández, the Spain international who tore them apart at times during their European Cup tie against Barcelona. Javier Mascherano, the young Argentina midfield player, is being lined up to join from Corinthians, of Brazil, after next year’s World Cup.

With Adrian Mutu gone, Mateja Kezman unable to repeat his avalanche of Dutch league goals and Didier Drogba not prolific in front of goal, Chelsea might be tempted to spend a fortune on another striker. Eto’o, the Barcelona and Cameroon striker, is said to be a target while they have also been linked with Adriano, Inter Milan’s Brazil forward.

Strike force

Chelsea’s lack of a prolific goalscorer is underlined by Frank Lampard leading the way for them with just 12 goals in the Barclays Premiership. Not since 1909 have the title-winning team had a leading scorer with fewer than 12 goals . . .

Albert Shepherd, Newcastle United, 11 goals in 1908-09 (38-game season)
Kevin Keegan, Liverpool, 12 goals in 1976-77 (42 games)
John Robertson and Peter Withe, Nottingham Forest, 12 goals in 1977-78 (42 games)
Frank Lampard, Chelsea, 12 goals in 2004-05 (35 games so far)