Reece James was the only Chelsea representative in England’s 3-0 win against Costa Rica on Wednesday.
The 26-year-old started at right-back and is the only Chelsea player to be included in Thomas Tuchel’s squad.
However, had things gone to plan for the Blues, there could have been another one of their stars on the Inter&Co Stadium pitch.
Anthony Gordon starred for England against Costa Rica but is no longer an option for Chelsea. Which left winger should we now sign? 🤔
Anthony Gordon shows Chelsea what they’ve missed out on in World Cup warm-up game
Chelsea were interested in signing Anthony Gordon before his £69m move to Barcelona last month.
Barcelona’s new addition started on the left flank for England and caused absolute havoc there, especially in the first half.
Gordon set up Declan Rice’s opener after breezing past Costa Rica’s defence before scoring himself and ultimately showed Chelsea what they were lacking last season.
Alejandro Garnacho was often criticised for not being direct enough, while Chelsea’s other left winger, Jamie Gittens, missed a large part of the campaign because of injury.
After failing to qualify for the Champions League, signing Gordon was always going to be a tough ask. Barcelona’s interest obviously complicated things as well, with the 25-year-old revealing that it was his dream to play at the Camp Nou.
Whatever the case, Gordon’s display against Costa Rica was a painful reminder of what Chelsea could have had.
The Club World Cup holders could still end up signing an England attacker this summer amid interest in Morgan Rogers.
Chelsea believe Rogers is perfect for them, although they will face plenty of competition for his signature.
Rogers had another strong campaign last term and would definitely not be a bad signing for Xabi Alonso’s side. But Gordon is the better left winger, with that being his natural position.
He has so much pace and developed into a good finisher at Newcastle. Again, missing out on him is a setback for Chelsea, but maybe Rogers can soften the blow if they manage to land the Aston Villa star.
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