Chelsea players want transfers to succeed where they failed
By Travis Tyler
Chelsea players are becoming restless with the lack of transfer activity. They want new blood before deciding their futures and fix their problems.
It is no secret that Chelsea need reinforcements. Much of last seasons activity in the market was replacing players that decided to leave with weaker counterparts with potential. It worked as well as expected.
But it is an entirely different thing when the players start making similar statements. Eden Hazard has spoken about waiting to see who is signed before he commits to Chelsea. Other Chelsea players supposedly share a similar sentiment but do not have the star power of Hazard to say it.
It is odd that the players, especially Hazard, are saying that the squad needs better players and are being praised for doing so. Antonio Conte said similarly and was slammed. Conte could have done better, but he was on to something. He did not have the right players to compete. Hazard and company see this now too, which is why they want new transfers to come in and fix the damage they have caused.
Because the players were good enough to do better than fifth last season. And the tactics were often good enough to take the Blues over the line. But time and time again, they were undone by simple mistakes in the back or unnecessary showmanship up top. New players are a band aid, as is a new manager. The players want someone else to take the blame and fix what went wrong. What they need to do is look inward and ask why they failed to reach the level of which they are capable.
That only tells one side of the story; the side of Chelsea players wanting new players. The other side is the one with the new players themselves. And now there is a growing sense that Chelsea’s uncertainty and slowness to act in the transfer window is becoming a self fulfilling prophecy.
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A new player wants to come to Chelsea, but they want to know who the manager will be and who their teammates will be. Chelsea do nothing on either front, and the player decides to A: go elsewhere or B: stay put. Then another new player comes along and a similar cycle kicks back off.
What this speaks more to are all the underwater problems Chelsea has. The board does not appear to know what they are doing or what they want. Roman Abramovich has always been silent, but he often spoke through money. No longer. Michael Emenalo has been gone almost a year now and his seat remains shamefully vacant. Jody Morris decided to leave for Derby County in pursuit of opportunities.
A new manager and new players are merely band aids on the problems Chelsea has right now. On the surface, they look good and make everyone feel good about the “progress that has been made”. But if the symptoms of what is wrong are not treated, they will return. Chelsea will finish outside of the top four once more and look to make the quick swap that will supposedly make it all better.
The players want reinforcements, but it should have never gotten to the point where they are in a position to ask. They should have gotten their jobs done primarily and barring that, they should not have the power to influence dealings.
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Chelsea has bigger issues than players getting restless with a lack of transfer activity. But until they decide to step back and actually look at them from the board to the players, nothing will change over the long term.