It’s easy to pick out the flaws in Chelsea’s general handling of transfer business. But the Blues head into Premier League opening weekend with the potential to put together an entertaining and compelling season of football.
Chelsea started the summer hiring Maurizio Sarri to replace the successful but discontented Antonio Conte. Roman Abramovich’s desire for Chelsea to play attractive attacking football has been well documented, but has gone generally unfulfilled over the past 15 years. With Sarri at the helm, Abramovich come closest to a guarantee that this iteration of Chelsea will be much more interesting to watch than the drab yet efficient products of Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte.
With his refined and rigid tactical system, Sarri was never going to spend weeks trying to assess the perfect way to use the players at hand. He was always going to just plug people in and train them to fit the roles.
It differs greatly from Conte’s first summer, in which he attempted to devise a unique system that fit the squad to a tee. That sounds idyllic, but it was clear from the beginning of the season it wasn’t going to produce results on the field. He eventually reverted to a defined system he was comfortable with and molded the squad to fit that vision.
Going into Sarri’s first summer, there were certainly areas for improvement in the squad, but there were no glaring voids of talent anywhere on the field. The most important matters were the players rumored to be headed for the exit: Eden Hazard, Thibaut Courtois, N’golo Kanté, and Willian.
Chelsea made the smartest possible move in activating Atletico Bilbao’s buyout clause for 23-year-old Kepa Arrizabalaga. The thought of throwing down a cool £71 million in a somewhat emergency situation might make some queasy. But considering Arrizabalaga’s age, experience, and potential, Kepa might end up being one of the best acquisitions Chelsea have made in recent times. Chelsea essentially paid £36 million for a very good goalkeeper, while at the same time ridding themselves of a player who had been pining for a move away for well over a year.
Chelsea’s other major signing came in tandem with Sarri’s hiring. Jorginho, the Brazitalian playmaker who served as Napoli’s creative hub, joined his manager in London for £57.4 million. Signing Jorginho was a major coup for Chelsea, as Manchester City were all but certain they had wrapped up a deal for the midfielder.
Stealing a player from under the noses of another Premier League powerhouse? Somewhere in West London, Willian nods in approval. Elsewhere, in North London, Daniel Levy softly weeps.
As Chelsea try to get a handle on Sarri’s system, having Jorginho on the field will be tremendously helpful. If Jorginho’s knowledge and familiarity with the system can radiate outward from central midfield to the rest of the team, Chelsea will be far more likely to click into gear sooner rather than later this season.
Some of Chelsea’s most important moves have been a lack of important moves. Eden Hazard and N’golo Kante suiting up for Chelsea this season will be a massive relief, considering what seemed to be serious interest from Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain, respectively. Chelsea did the right thing in setting the asking price at Dr. Evil-level money for two of the world’s best players, and it should be the club’s first order of business to sign them to massive contract extensions.
The retention of Willian is perhaps less inspiring, but he clearly loves being at the club. That’s got to be worth something, right?
Meanwhile, a few intriguing players were spared the fate – for now – of being enlisted in the loan army. Callum Hudson-Odoi, Michy Batshuayi, Ethan Ampadu, Tammy Abraham, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek could all remain with the club, and each has the potential to have a breakout season.
Hudson-Odoi was the standout player of Chelsea’s preseason, and seems more than ready to mix it up against top-level competition. Spending a season competing with Eden Hazard will be immeasurably great for his development.
Tammy Abraham just needs minutes, and he could find himself among the top scorers in the Europa League if Sarri is willing to give him that chance. His fellow long-term Academy star Ruben Loftus-Cheek proved he could be an important player on a great team in the World Cup. The third midfield spot in Sarri’s 4-3-3 is up for grabs, and Loftus-Cheek has the qualities to make it his own.
More and more, it looks like Chelsea might have a starting center back pairing of Ethan Ampadu and Andreas Christensen, which would be a massive boost to Chelsea’s credibility as a destination for top young prospects.
Batshuayi impressed at Dortmund until his ankle injury last spring. He could very well take over the starting role up top if Alvaro Morata continues to struggle.
Will any of these players get a true shot at the first team this season? No one will know until Chelsea get into the thick of things later in the year, but there’s plenty of reason to be optimistic about the talent Chelsea has waiting in the wings.
Of course, even with these players staying at Stamford Bridge, there are still plenty of other prospects (and, sadly, former prospects) who have hit the loan circuit for the season. One loanee stands out above the others though: Mason Mount. With Frank Lampard as manager, Mount will be under the tutelage of one of the best midfielders to ever play in England. He already scored in Derby’s first match of the season, looking every bit like Lampard in his pomp. If Mount can impress this year, it’s almost certain that he’s the real deal, and a serious role in Chelsea’s first team might be waiting right around the corner.
Chelsea’s preseason has been less than ideal, but the final scoreline is always secondary to the performances on the field. Maurizio Sarri’s system is based on quick thinking above all else, and that comes with plenty of practice. Only Jorginho has that so far.
Chelsea’s attack looked tepid at best in all of the preseason matches, with perhaps the best spell coming in the first half of the match against Inter Milan. Sarri needs time to ingrain his style in a whole new set of players, but each player will only get more comfortable as these next few weeks go by. Chelsea should slowly start to take shape as the season ramps up.
Certain players are already making themselves known and looking at home in Sarri’s system. Jorginho is the obvious one, which is a relief. But Callum Hudson-Odoi making a name for himself was unexpected and thrilling. Ethan Ampadu acts like he’s been playing at the top level for years, though his wispy moustache belies his actual age. Ross Barkley looks reborn physically, and Pedro seems perfectly suited for the system. Heck, Marcin Bulka, Willy Caballero, and Rob Green all look capable!
Is Chelsea likely to make a strong push for the title this season? No, don’t be silly. But that’s hardly the point of this season. Making it back into the Champions League spots will be the key goal domestically, and they should take winning the Europa League seriously as well. If nothing else, this season needs to be focused on Chelsea developing a new identity going forward.
The spectacular disaster of the 2015/16 season marked the end of an era at Chelsea. It became clear Chelsea were not going to win trophies based on having the deepest pockets anymore. Leicester City proved massive money wasn’t necessary.
As a response, Chelsea decided to place their faith in Antonio Conte, a coach who seemed to have the force of personality to will a club to greatness even in adverse circumstances. The 2016/17 title is proof. However, even Conte fell prey to the idea Chelsea needed to spend exorbitantly to ensure dominance. The stalemate between him and the club resulted in the tepid 2017/18 campaign and Conte’s reported unrest throughout the season.
Now Chelsea have a manager who is not used to working on a large budget but has proven himself up to the task of coaching on the biggest stage. The acquisitions of Kepa Arrizabalaga and Jorginho are big money moves, but they’re smart signings rather than spending for the sake of spending. Beyond those two, the squad is already full of veteran leadership, world-class stars and exciting prospects. It’s the sign of a club that is evolving and maturing into something sustainable.
Chelsea, the former poster child for frivolously-spending nouveau riche clubs, is finally growing up. It’s certainly a brave new world, but it’s a particularly exciting time to support Chelsea Football Club.
Most great managers become synonymous with a specific system that led their teams to glory, and with Sarri Ball, Chelsea might serve as the canvas upon which a creative and intelligent manager can create a footballing masterpiece.