Unshocking news: Chelsea’s Englishmen are staying at least until January

In news that really should not have been as big of a deal as it was, Chelsea’s older Englishmen are staying for now. Cue fake shock and surprise.

Homegrown status, club trained status, and FA trained status all matter a great deal more than anyone wants to think about. Partially because the system is so convoluted and there is one criteria for the Premier League and another for European competition. But it matters all the same.

As such, players that fall into any of those categories are immensely valuable for a club like Chelsea. The Blues very regularly push right up on the edge of the limit every single time. Can they fill the gaps with academy players? Yes but players under 21 usually do not count unless they are explicitly named to the squad. Meaning, naming a 21 or younger player to the squad is basically wasting a spot on the roster.

That is why any rumor linking an older homegrown player to leaving was at best, incredibly unlikely. But since the big papers want to make a big deal out of it, it needs to be addressed. Yes, Gary Cahill and Danny Drinkwater are staying at Chelsea for now. Just like they always were going to. That is not a shocking revelation by any means.

Basically, these rumors are connecting two and two together in the loosest way possible. Because Cahill and Drinkwater are yet to play much under Maurizio Sarri, they must be looking for a move away. And as soon as it becomes clear they are not doing that, then the story becomes they are looking to fight for a spot in the club (see Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Tammy Abraham, literally anyone else not playing this same thread has been recycled on to).

Now, if the English transfer window were still open, this story might have some legs. The generation that Cahill and Drinkwater come from was the generation that would only play in England. In fact, only the very youngest Englishmen are looking for careers outside of England. So with the Premier League off the table, Cahill and Drinkwater staying shot up to nearly 100 percent.

There is, of course, still the chance to move to lower divisions. But that is a step too far for Cahill and Drinkwater currently. At worst, they are key figures on midtable sides. It would take a truly special Championship side with near guaranteed promotion to convince them.

That only leaves clubs abroad and as already mentioned both players are unlikely to leave England. Galatasaray was strongly linked to Cahill for a few days but like all of this there was little truly in it. So now Cahill and Drinkwater will “fight for their place” at Chelsea.

Until January anyways. Then the calculus will have changed again. English clubs will be back on the table as well as a ton of English players. Chelsea could offload Cahill and Drinkwater while ensuring they fill out their homegrown numbers in the best way possible. That is exactly what will happen if Cahill and Drinkwater do not see rotation in the cups regularly.

Frankly, they probably will not. Cahill is not as unsuited for Sarrismo as some will say but he also is not as ideal as Chelsea’s other options. Drinkwater might see minutes so long as Cesc Fabregas is injured but that is about it. And after a year and a half on the Chelsea sideline, he will be very eager to move.

Chelsea needs their homegrown players but that will also be a juggling act with playing time. For now, there is next to zero chance of them leaving. But in January, the landscape will be very different. That is when the rumors will start to carry some true weight.