Move on from Madrid: Chelsea should be the club players indiscreetly yearn for
By George Perry
Alvaro Morata and Eden Hazard kicked off the international break by stirring up rumours that they hope to move – perhaps someday soon – to Real Madrid. Chelsea FC should set the ambition of being on the other side of the coin: the club other players openly muse about joining.
Chelsea fans now have two major fears heading into an international break: the possibility of a Blue being injured on national team duty, and the near certainty of a Blue making a statement that sounds like he is pining for a transfer to one of those “real” mega-clubs. Typically, as the case may be, the “Real” mega-club.
For the rest of the footballing world, Eden Hazard and Real Madrid are quickly turning into Ross and Rachel. Every coy glance and oh-so-accidental comment just leads to more exasperated groans of “Oh just get on with it and kiss, will you?” That leaves Chelsea in the awful position of somehow being even more pathetic than Ross, since no one seems too attached to Stamford Bridge.
Alvaro Morata’s happiness narrative, on the other hand, whirls faster than Pedro after a pallet of Carabao. In the last few weeks he was unhappy in London, then ready to stay at Chelsea for 10 years, thrilled to finally be the starting striker but still open to returning to Real Madrid.
Chelsea FC can and should get a handle on these situations. For starters, they can add to the increasingly necessary player-media relations curriculum. After the Kenedy and Charly Musonda Memorial Lecture in Social Media Usage, the players should learn what to say and how to say it. And, just as importantly, what not to say.
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If you are going to complement another coach, be sure to balance that with a slightly greater nod towards Antonio Conte. If you are going to talk about other clubs, keep it firmly in the hypothetical with various disclaimers of “after I fulfill all my dreams at Chelsea.” Otherwise, fairly or not, the comments will be spun as “Chelsea player hopes to leave, play under dream manager X at club Y.”
Beyond attending to the players, though, Chelsea should ask themselves why they are always on the losing end of these comments. When was the last time a player at another title-defending club talked about how much he would like to play at Chelsea? Can you remember any player at Bayern, Juventus, Real Madrid or any other club at that level spinning the rumour mills and hot take factories up to 11 by saying “I would love to play at Chelsea some day.”
No, and Chelsea’s management, marketing and PR teams should be asking, Why the hell not? 112 years of history (despite rumours to the contrary). Two Premier League titles in the last three seasons and five in 15 years. The only London club to win the Champions League. The potential for a dynasty – or at least a legacy – under Antonio Conte. The heritage of Frank Lampard, Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Peter Osgood, Bobby Tambling, Tommy Docherty and Jose Mourinho. Roman Abramovich’s vast fortune.
And that is just Chelsea. Joining Chelsea also means joining the Premier League. The quality of footballing technique and the sophistication of the punditry lag those of the European leagues, but that does not diminish the quality of the league itself. Roll your eyes about those cold rainy Wednesday nights in Stoke. It is still the same league that introduced Leicester City to the world, where the parity of the league injects a level of risk, drama and importance to a meeting between two sides separated by 15 places that no other league can replicate.
Chelsea players and fans deserve to walk around with a chip on their shoulders. The Blues have earned it while other clubs continue to coast on their #brand history. Wear Blue and kiss the badge unapologetically, from Abramovich to Zappacosta to the guy in the Shed End. Make Chelsea a destination club for the world’s ambitious and aspiring greats.
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If nothing else, it will make both the transfer windows and the international breaks much less painful every time you scroll through the headlines.