Chelsea fans must not accept age disagreement as excuse for transfer stagnation

Chelsea are currently passive in the transfer market due to disagreements between the board and Antonio Conte over the latter’s choice of transfer targets. That is no excuse, though.

Chelsea sold a lot of players this summer and have thus far failed to appropriately replace them. They have splashed some cash around, but are still lacking squad depth. The latest reports claim that this stagnation is due to the board not liking Antonio Conte’s transfer targets.

The Times reports that senior management feel that Conte’s wish list features players that are too old. Looking at the three major signings the club have actually made, that could be a plausible reason.

"Antonio Conte is in a stand-off with the Chelsea hierarchy over transfer targets, with the club reluctant to bow to the manager’s request to spend significant sums of money on experienced players with little resale value…Chelsea have shown a willingness to back Conte in the transfer market this summer…and it is significant that none of the three is over 24."

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The club have spent a lot of money this summer, but it has gone on young players. The other players Conte has been reportedly interested in have been the wrong side of their prime. Leonardo Bonucci (30 years old), Fernando Llorente (32) and Antonio Candreva (30) are three examples.

However, Chelsea fans must not see this a valid excuse for the club’s lack of appropriate activity over the summer.

Conte would have drawn up his transfer list at the beginning of the window. While the Blues have taken action on a few targets, the sales and loans have demanded more. The board and Conte should have resolved their dispute in June and produced another list that acted as a compromise.

It is important to understand that we cannot say who is at fault here. Conte may have refused to budge on his target list, insisting that he only wanted those more experienced players. The board, meanwhile, may have refused to strike any compromise. Given that three young players have been signed, perhaps they could be more open to one or two veteran purchases?

Whatever the actual situation is, it is simply unacceptable. The Blues have had months to sort out their disagreements and devise a solution that benefits the club over personal agendas. They have evidently failed and the team is paying the price.

Given the performances against Arsenal and Burnely, one can only imagine the struggle Chelsea will face when their desperately thin squad depth is tested later on.

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Ahead of a huge clash against Tottenham, this is just another bit of news that will add to the dread. Blues fans still remember that 2015/16 campaign and are currently staring it in the face. Hopefully, the players can ignore all of this and get back on track.