My campaign to be Chelsea technical director: Day 2

On day 2 after fictitiously taking over as Chelsea Technical Director, Barrett Rouen travels to Monaco to do deals for some highly rated Ligue 1 players.

Transfer Window Day 8

Captain’s Log: Bleak but Brighter

The interior balcony at the Hotel Hermitage in Monte Carlo is a magnificent place for a late breakfast. The playboys and dilettantes have yet to wake or in some cases return and the hotel is still quiet though beginning to bustle. My flight arrived in Nice this morning and the ride into Monte Carlo was smooth. A coffee, a croissant and a few flirtatious texts with the missus later and I’m preparing my notes to meet with Dmitry Rybolovlev the majority owner of AS Monaco.

AS Monaco were wonderful last season in the Champions League and managed to win the usually far more predictable Ligue 1. There is a lot to be proud of at Monaco at the moment and that is the reason why I am scouring the squad for some of the more reasonable hot properties on the market.

9:35AM and the Chauffeur arrives to take me to La Turbie – the AS Monaco training ground – a little bit outside the actual principality of Monaco. Upon arriving I am astounded to see how picturesque the training ground is. One of the absolute best in Europe and perhaps one of the reasons for the incredible youth movement down here in the south of France. I am ushered inside through a few plane glass windows and to an office with a sparkling view of the countryside rolling into the Mediterranean.

More from The Pride of London

Here I wait. I’m here for Tiemoue Bakayoko, the dynamic central midfielder that my predecessor had chased and yet not acquired. The player is more like Patrick Vieira and Xabi Alonso in terms of his skill set. When pressed he’s a wonderful passer of the ball and that, coupled with his athleticism, already has my inner Chelsea supporter hoping for my own executive success.

In comes Mr. Rybolovlev followed by former Chelsea great Claude Makelele, the Monaco technical director. This is boding well for us at the moment. The truth is Monaco want to hold on to Bakayoko and Fabinho. Statistically, that midfield pairing was instrumental in them lifting the title. They were dominant defensively while covering an inordinate amount of distance and moving the ball with precision. The two of them plus N’Golo Kante would most likely never lose a game.

Chelsea have on several occasions supposedly been successful with a £35 million bid for Bakayoko. However, my Sherlock Holmesian intellect does suggest to me then that the player would have been announced at Chelsea if the deal had been concluded. I’d offer the 35 up front plus another £7.5m following 50 appearances and £2.5m after 100.

That would give us enough time to offset the added cost while also getting the player to Conte in time for all important pre-season fitness and team bonding.

The curious part of me does want to know about Kylian Mbappe. On several occasions I’ve remarked that if a club were forced into spending £100 million on a single player this year it should be Mbappe. His 26 goals and 14 assists at the age of 18 against legitimate competition makes him incredibly attractive. Chelsea could have him on the books for 8 seasons before his price really begins to diminish and there would be the opportunity to perhaps move him on and recoup some of his fee.