Cesar Azpilicueta has called on Chelsea to make some more signings before the transfer window closes this month, reports The Independent.

What's the story?

The Blues have faced criticism this summer for their transfer activity after bringing in four new players to the first team and offloading a handful.

Willy Caballero, Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata are the new faces to be recruited.

John Terry ended his long-term association with the Blues by joining Aston Villa, while the likes of Nathan Ake and Dominic Solanke have been sold.

Most notably, Nemanja Matic was given the green light to join rivals Manchester United, and he put in a man-of-the-match display against West Ham United on Sunday.

On top of that, Diego Costa is expected to leave this summer after being excluded from the club's pre-season tour.

Following Chelsea's humiliating 3-2 loss to Burnley on the opening weekend of the season, Azpilicueta had his say on the transfer situation.

The Independent quotes the defender as saying:

"Well when you see the players we lost, and the players we have signed in, they are not the same. Obviously we have very good young players, but we have to know the reality that being champions is even harder the next season, we have experience of that.

"So we need players, also for the development of the young players, they need help from senior players, from top players, not to rush them in a position where maybe they are not ready to go at the moment but they will be in the future.

“So it is something that the club is working on with the manager, and hopefully we can get new signings in the next few weeks.”

Is this a bad sign?

Most footballers are asked by the media about transfers when the window opens, but Azpilicueta has made it clear that the Blues are in need of some more new faces.

Numerous football pundits have claimed that manager Antonio Conte was unhappy with the sale of Matic to United.

Comments such as these suggest that there may be disagreements between management and board level.

If the club fail to recruit some new faces before the transfer window shuts, then the team's title defence could struggle.

The players could become increasingly frustrated if there are cracks in the relationship between Conte and the board.

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