N'golo Kante is currently not with the Chelsea squad in America, having missed the club's pre-season tour due to his vaccination status.
Conor Gallagher has received opportunities in both pre-season friendlies so far, and a midfield pairing of Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic has rekindled their relationship in the middle.
That being said, when putting together potential starting lineups for the Premier League opener against Everton, it's difficult to make a case for the Frenchman to be included.
It would have been impossible to argue for a first-choice midfield that did not include the midfielder, who joined the Blues to immediate success for £30 million in 2016.
However, it appears that the competition for places, combined with an injury history, has left Jorginho and Kovacic as the clear choices for a midfield pair.
Chelsea appears to be better without Kante.
The Blues' possession control is night and day when the Italian starts versus when he doesn't. With Thomas Tuchel's team likely to dominate possession in the majority of games, his presence in midfield is essential.
Then there's the Croatian, who had his best season at Stamford Bridge last season, adding attacking quality to his game that was previously lacking.
His ability to drive the team forward is similar to that of Kante, but his ability to pick the final pass is far superior to that of the Frenchman, and is critical to developing attacks in the central areas of the pitch.
Even if more goals are desired than what Kovacic provides, the Blues now have Gallagher at their disposal, who demonstrated during his loan spell at Crystal Palace that he can provide goals in the same vein as fellow Englishman Mason Mount.
So, if the Blues are to become a possession-based, dominant side capable of building attacks down the middle as well as out wide, they must look to the future without Kante.
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Last season, the Toffees narrowly avoided relegation from the Premier League, and manager Frank Lampard is desperate for reinforcements.
This has led to him being linked with several players from his former club Chelsea, three of whom could end up at Goodison Park.
Lampard is said to be interested in bringing Ross Barkley back to the Toffees because he believes he still has the ability to be a top performer.
Meanwhile, the Englishman is interested in signing Billy Gilmour, who could be allowed to leave the Blues permanently.
A loan deal for Levi Colwill appears to be in the works as well. The centre-back is said to be eager to return to Premier League action next season.
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