Chelsea pursuit of Danny Drinkwater is a consequence of window meandering
Chelsea are reportedly pursuing Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater in a prime example of hitting the summer transfer window panic button.
In a rumour that recalls Bebe’s transfer to Manchester United, Chelsea are reportedly interested in signing Danny Drinkwater. Drinkwater is not on Bebe’s level of anonymity, but this has certainly come out of left field.
"Chelsea are interested in signing Leicester City midfielder Danny Drinkwater, according to Sky sources. The England international is one of the midfielders the Premier League champions are looking at as a possible replacement for Nemanja Matic, who has been sold to Manchester United for £40m. – via Sky Sports"
The Blues have been in the market for a number of players this summer. They have addressed some concerns by signing Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata, but the nature in which those deals were concluded was stressful for fans.
Chelsea meandered about and lost out on their initial striking target. Romelu Lukaku was supposed to make a triumphant return to West London, but an inability to get the deal over the line hurt the Blues. Manchester United swooped in and stole the Belgian.
More from The Pride of London
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea player ratings: Abysmal, reckless, wasteful
- Bournemouth 0-0 Chelsea: 3 Blues talking points
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 1 Blue Mauricio Pochettino should drop
- Bournemouth vs Chelsea: 3 Blues who must start
- Predicted Chelsea lineup vs Bournemouth: Palmer starts in 4-2-3-1
Meanwhile, a lack of urgency also played a part in Danilo snubbing Stamford Bridge for Manchester City. Chelsea management have not been decisive nor clinical in conducting their transfer business.
Now, the club are paying the price. They sold Nathaniel Chalobah and have just moved Nemanja Matic on. The Blues need a replacement with only N’Golo Kante, Cesc Fabregas and Bakayoko as first-team midfielders.
Instead of making a proper move for the highly-rated Renato Sanches, they are targeting Danny Drinkwater. The Englishman was phenomenal in Leicester City’s Premier League-winning campaign. But so was every member of that team. That one fairytale season does not make any of them good enough to join genuine Champions League contenders.
If Chelsea had avoided meandering about, they would not be making such a desperation move at this time. Someone like Sanches would already be training and bedding into his new club.
After a rather disappointing pre-season, Antonio Conte is cutting a dejected and frustrated man. The board are responding by panic buying. If Drinkwater joins, he may turn out to be one of the signings of the summer. The key, though, is that he would have been nowhere near Conte’s list of targets heading into it.
Chelsea officials have dillied and dallied. Instead of riding the Premier League success to convince players to come to West London, they have allowed rivals to compete for signatures and sell a better package.
Next: If Chelsea’s board wants Antonio Conte to fail, they are on the right track
With that Jose Mourinho season fresh in the memory, this summer has been a farce. Blues fans have every right to be angered by it.