Chelsea should not be making moves for their manager yet

Chelsea’s preseason starts on 2 July. Many players will still be at the World Cup. The Blues should not be making moves for their manager yet, but are.

The transfer window is past its halfway point. To date, Chelsea have done little to no business. On paper, that seems like a mistake. The Blues clearly need to strengthen after only coming fifth last season (they really needed to strengthen after coming in first the season before).

But the managerial situation is very much in flux. It is expected that Antonio Conte will be sacked, but he has yet to be removed. Maurizio Sarri has been “close” for weeks, but never close enough to actually sign. He will probably be the next Chelsea manager but situation is no more settled with a week till preseason than it was with a month till preseason.

Transfer moves have, understandably, been not existent. After all, how can the team sell or buy players without knowing what the next manager thinks of them? But recently, Chelsea have started to move in the market, despite no manager being in place. That is a mistake.

Trevoh Chalobah is expected to go on loan to Ipswich. Mario Pasalic is expected to go to Fiorentina. Mason Mount has been tipped for a Championship loan. Meanwhile, Chelsea have started supposedly started negotiations with several players.

But would it not make more sense to have Sarri’s (assuming he signs) input on things? It is highly unlikely that he has spoken with any of Chelsea’s players, let alone seen how they handle in training. The manager should at least be able to see how a player does before the club decides to let them go elsewhere, even if it is on a loan they probably need.

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This is especially awkward in a World Cup year. Chelsea’s preseason training starts almost a full month before the tournament ends. Even more, many of the players at the tournament who get eliminated will not return for weeks yet. The new manager deserves to have as many players in training as possible. When the big players are gone, the fringe players can get their chance to impress the new boss. By starting to make moves this early, the Blues have stolen a chance from players to impress Sarri.

The board is not new to doing things like this. Transfers of Nemanja Matic, Nathan Ake, and Nathaniel Chalobah were unavoidable, but largely done over Conte’s head. Of course, as the coach (Chelsea rarely has actually managers anymore), he would never have the final say. But there is little doubt that he was not even consulted. So it was for Conte, so it seems it will be for Sarri.

The Blues need to trust who they put in charge of the team. They do not need to give them complete control over transfers, but they need to seek and trust their input. But recent seasons, as far back as Carlo Ancelotti, have shown that the board will do what it wants despite the coach. That creates a tension from the go and that is the wrong way to start a new era.

The Blues should hold any loans or transfers until Sarri (or whoever finally signs) can get a look at the squad. The new guy needs to be able to sit down and see what is available and what is necessary. Then he can make recommendations to the board and the board can either listen or not. But to take the next man out of the equation entirely is dangerous and cuts everyone short.

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The board must do better on that front and on many, many others if Chelsea are going to be back on top again.