Chelsea must stop settling for second-best (or worse) in transfer market

Chelsea FC’s transfer window has, despite the signing of Ross Barkley, not gone as well as it should have.  The recent rumors of Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri following those of Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch are symptomatic of a larger issue.

Too often Chelsea FC have settled for second and third choice transfer targets. It is the prevailing story of recent transfer windows. “Chelsea wanted Romelu Lukaku but got Alvaro Morata.” “Went for Radja Nainggolan or Arturo Vidal, brought in Tiemoue Bakayoko.” “Candreva? Zappacosta.”  This sort of management is exactly what is wrong with the club.

Every once in a while it is OK to settle for the second or third choice option, at least if it pertains to building the wider squad. But it does not work for the starters and stars, the foundation of the club who will elevate the architecture of your team.

Chelsea consistently appears far too amenable to lesser options. One is actually hard pressed to remember the last time Chelsea actually bought a first-class player they were rumored to be interested in. The results are easy to recognize. If you regularly settle for second and third class options you will eventually, over time, have a second- or third-rate squad.

The Edin Dzeko and Emerson Palmieri rumors are saddening, to say the least.  It’s important when supporting a manager, particularly one as strong as Antonio Conte, in the pursuit of top-level trophies to buy the right players the coach needs.

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For instance, this Palmieri vs. Sandro situation. Antonio Conte wants Alex Sandro, not Emerson Palmieri. He has good reasons for this. Last season’s statistics suggest Sandro was the best left-back in world football. Even ahead of his countryman, Marcelo.

Sandro is the sort of player who truly provides competition and strengthens a squad. Sandro is also a favored target of Conte because of his mentality. He is one of the players who has most adopted the Juventus “win-every-trophy-always-no-matter-what” mentality. He has the workaholic approach Conte has and is trying to instill in Chelsea’s current group of layabouts.

Emerson Pamieri does not match those characteristics. He is a footballer who also kicks footballs and plays the same position. That does not make him the same player.

This scattershot approach to transfer business is why Chelsea are failing to maintain pace this season with Manchester City despite having been fundamentally a better squad last season. The regression is spectacular. Chelsea started higher up the mountain, yet are looking up at the clouds compared to City this season.

When Pep Guardiola wants a player, he gets THAT player. Not someone else or someone with a similar haircut, style, or nationality like Chelsea appear to do. Coaching is an important aspect of football because the mental relationship between players and manager is so important. Coaches are motivators, fathers, philosophers, and trainers. The connection is what makes it work.  So when a coach wants a player the board should respect this mental aspect, because it is such a significant part of the interest.

This is why Chelsea FC is such a hard club to manage. It appears to be one of the best places to work in the world. Chelsea have plenty of money, they are the top London club, the supporters are a well-humored and adoring bunch, and London is a phenomenal city in which to raise a family on the sort of budget you will likely have.

The issue, however, is the club appears to have not a single semblance of respect for the position. Having won the Premier League last year, Chelsea’s executives should be treating Conte’s transfer advice as gospel. Instead they seem to hardly even listen. Antonio Conte is constantly hamstrung by his own executives, despite having proven how good he is.

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Signing Edin Dzeko is tolerable, if it happens. He is certainly a more complete player than Peter Crouch and roughly equal – though less injury-prone – to Andy Carroll. The Palmieri rumour, though, is madness.

Chelsea ask for footballing poetry, and then provide neither the ink nor paper with which to do it. That is why Pep Guardiola simply refused to manage Chelsea when they pursued him. It is an absurd approach to a fundamentally simple system: hire a good manager, give him the players he wants (or at least come close!), win trophies. Very simple.

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Chelsea have now made a hash out of four transfer windows in a row. Chelsea supporters deserve better than this. Antonio Conte deserves better than this. Sadly, as appears always to be the case in modern football, it will likely be the fans and Conte who pay, and not those responsible.