Antonio Conte is heading into the new Premier League season with just 14 senior players available after a difficult summer.
The Chelsea manager has spoken of a need to strengthen further on several occasions this summer and the club are targeting up to four new arrivals.
Willy Caballero, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Alvaro Morata and Antonio Rudiger have all arrived since the end of last season, but Bakayoko is set to miss the start of the season after undergoing surgery before completing his move to Stamford Bridge.
Eden Hazard is also injured, while Diego Costa has not been welcomed back to Chelsea's Cobham training facility as the club attempts to agree his exit.
Speaking ahead of Sunday's Community Shield defeat to Arsenal, Conte said: "Now for us it’s very important to try to improve our squad, in the numerical aspect, we have a small squad."
Conte's point was emphasised when his threadbare squad was printed on the back of the Community Shield programme alongside the wealth of names available to Arsene Wenger.
Juventus full-back Alex Sandro is a priority target for Conte, while the Chelsea manager continues to monitor Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Ross Barkley.
Meanwhile, the Blues have been given fresh hope in their bid to sign Virgil Van Dijk as Southampton are still furious with Liverpool over their pursuit of the defender.
Scroll through the gallery above to see the 14 senior players available to Conte for Saturday's season opener against Burnley
