Chelsea needs reinforcements but should not be Jean Seri’s safety club

Last summer, Chelsea were linked to Jean Seri before Barcelona started probing. That fell through and now Chelsea want him to settle for The Blues.

A safety school is the school one applies to just in case. It is virtually guaranteed that they will accept any application and they are an insurance policy if the dream schools say no.

In regards to Chelsea, Barcelona and Jean Seri, Chelsea is the safety school. Chelsea wanted him last year and seem to want him again. He wanted to go to Barcelona but that fell through over asking price and Barcelona obtained Paulinho instead. Now Chelsea want to play the role of safety school by taking Seri in after Barcelona passed on their initial interest.

Chelsea should not be ok with that circumstance. If a player wants to come to Chelsea, they should want to do so because it is their top choice. Not the choice they settle for. If the Blues were to pursue Seri, they would only be getting a player who would rather be in Barcelona. There are already enough questions about current players and where they want to be. No need to add another to the pile.

How long would it take for Seri to come to Chelsea, perform well, Barcelona to reignite interest and for him to start angling a move? That is a serious question Chelsea will have to ask if they go after Seri. The club needs loyalty now more than ever and any new signing will have to be totally committed to what the Blues are trying to do.

Aside from that, Seri does tick a few boxes. His asking price is not outrageous by any means. He is cool on the ball and has good vision. And if Danny Drinkwater or Tiemoue Bakayoko were to depart, Seri would be a fine replacement. He would also do really well in any three man midfield Chelsea could potentially switch to next season.

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Xavi gave raves reviews about Seri back when Barcelona were keen. Statistically, he does not hold up as well as advertised though.

Passing wise, he would sit below Cesc Fabregas and above every other current Chelsea midfielder. He does better than Bakayoko and Drinkwater at taking players on. And for a short player, he wins a surprising amount of aerial duels. But his goal scoring ability and his tackling would be rock bottom in Chelsea’s midfield.

So his defensive deficiencies (and height) would likely preclude him from starting in an two man midfield. Since Chelsea still do not have an idea of who will manage next season, it is hard to plan for that.

Seri could do well in a three man midfield for Chelsea and would seemingly be the heir apparent to Fabregas’ role. But the Blues would still lack a goal scoring midfielder which is one  of their biggest needs regardless of formation.

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So Seri could help the Blues, especially for the cheap price. But he is by no means an upgrade. And if the player is merely settling for Chelsea, the Blues should look elsewhere for a player that will contribute more to the squad.