Chelsea should not wait for Anthony Martial with cash on the table
By Travis Tyler
Chelsea should be looking to sell Willian after his antics last season. Barcelona has cash on the table but the Blues are holding out for Anthony Martial.
The longer a transfer window goes on, the more likely it is that a rumor is recycled with the hope that everyone forgot about it the first go round. Some rumors returning, however, means that there is some kernel of truth to them.
For weeks, Chelsea fans have seen rumors of Barcelona offering increasing ludicrous bids for Willian. But despite the cash on the table being more than fair, Chelsea has not taken the offer. The sense is that the Blues are trying to start a bidding war between Barcelona and Manchester United. The latter has an admirer in the form of Jose Mourinho and a make weight that Chelsea wants.
If Willian goes, the Blues want a new replacement quickly. The fastest way to go about doing that is to swap Willian for a player he is displacing. And at Manchester United at least, Anthony Martial is the prime candidate for that swap. But United will not match Barcelona’s offers and Barcelona is offering the cash right now. The Blues would be foolish not to take it.
It is clear that no bidding war is imminent. United know that Chelsea wants Martial more than cash, so they have not entered into negotiation despite Barcelona doing so. They simply do not feel pressured because they believe they and only they have what Chelsea wants.
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Meanwhile, Barcelona will get bored and move on. They have a longer window to do so in with the English transfer window closing much sooner than Spain’s. United only needs to wait and they will be able to gain the upper hand in negotiations.
But Chelsea should not wait any longer. Trying to start a bidding war was a sound idea but an expired one now. Martial would improve the squad with Willian’s departure, but if United will not play then there is no point chasing the dream of Martial in Blue.
Barcelona wants Willian now. The rumored offers are more than fair for a 29 year old. Chelsea can make do without Willian if they absolutely must. But they absolutely must sell him this summer.
Willian always had his fair share of critics from the Chelsea faithful. And even last year, when he was more important to the team than Eden Hazard for a long stretch, many refused to believe in Willian. But any good will the Brazilian created over the years evaporated due to his antics which eventually cascaded into a revolt against Antonio Conte.
Regardless of what one believes or feels about Conte’s sacking, keeping a player that helped orchestrate a managerial sacking is generally a terrible idea. How long will it be before he tries the same against Maurizio Sarri? Likely only as long as it takes not to be selected by the Italian. And though John Terry, Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba played their own roles in managerial sackings, they at least could come good on the other end and had Chelsea’s best interests in mind.
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Willian simply should not be at Chelsea when the season starts. It is understandable that the Blues want Martial as part of the package, but that is becoming increasingly unrealistic. The cash is on the table from Barcelona and the Blues should snatch it before it goes away.