Chelsea are well past the point of pursuing high-profile transfers. They must look close to home until they put their house in order.
Robert Lewandowski. Paulo Dybala. Mauro Icardi. What do these three players have in common?
Chelsea have been in some way linked with all of them, and probably should not be at this rate. The club are in the middle of one of the strangest periods in almost two decades. The new stadium is gone, the owner’s interest is impossible to measure, the manager is an entirely unknown factor and the squad is rubbish.
Oh, and did I mention they’ve missed out on the Champions League?
That would not be so bad if there were a clear path forward, but the truth is very simple. England was a two-club country (Manchester United and Arsenal) when Chelsea first cracked in and helped change the Premier League into a more interesting and competitive division. The league is now a big-six league, and Chelsea are by far the worst off in the group.
On just squad strength, Manchester City are strong and likely to get stronger. By the way, they are managed by Pep Guardiola. Manchester United are among the richest sides in the world and have a very strong squad. Liverpool – through calm, measured and strong management – have successfully strengthened themselves under the rest of the division’s noses. They have done it so well they could have won the Champions League if not for one ham-handed hamster of a goalkeeper. Tottenham have done a job similar to Liverpool (without the end product), and Arsenal are a sleeping giant with a massive amount of capital, a good stadium and a new manager with a point to prove.
Then comes the finances.
Say what you will about Financial Fair Play and how much of a Blatterian evil that spits in the face of sporting ambition it is. When Tottenham opens their new stadium next season, Chelsea will have the smallest stadium in the big six. With their pathetic finish this season leaving them with less merit-based money, less gameday revenue than the others and a poor situation in terms of European competition, things simply aren’t very good.
Chelsea will not be able to recruit any superstars. They are not a good choice for most players at this juncture. Footballers have short careers. Wasting them at a club with no certain path forward, an unknown manager situation and no prospects for economic growth and an uncertain series of successes is hardly an enticing prospect.
Chelsea will need to make the most of their current squad, the loan army and the youth system if they are going to improve. Who knows if they know how to do that. Historically, they don’t. There’s not a single thing in the world pointing to the idea that maybe Chelsea have learned anything from their troubled recent years.
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Chelsea need to buckle down and look at themselves. They can’t go about looking at fancy foreign players who will be expensive gambles. Chelsea can no longer waste money on players like Tiemoue Bakayoko when they have players like Ruben Loftus-Cheek. They cannot buy Antonio Rudiger’s when they have Kurt Zouma’s.
The club need to get back to doing what football is all about: coaching, trying and committing to themselves and each other. The most positive thing that could happen would be not spending any money this summer, and instead recalling the loan army to create some change in the club.
The Blues need to focus on changing the culture. It’s been too rocky for too long. With less money and no true appeal over some of their competitors, Chelsea will need to do something they have not been able to do in their years of exceess: be resourceful.
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With no such history to provide any optimism, things are worrying at Chelsea FC right now. Very, very worrying.