Chelsea FC has more conflicting stories coming out of it than an episode of “Cheaters.” Forget about the whiny, entitled fans – everyone within the club owes each other some straight answers.
Trying to get any forthright clarity from a coach, player or administrator at Chelsea is like trying to get an assist from Jorginho: be prepared for a long wait full of short, pro forma reactions, peppered by sycophants saying “but that’s not their (his) job!” Few of the players know what their role at the club will be going forward, either from the coaching or contract perspective. They reciprocate, then, by dancing about their own plans in the media.
As far as anyone knows – or at least as far as anyone should be believed – Bayern Munich have given Callum Hudson-Odoi more specifics about his future should he leave Chelsea than the Blues have given him in order to convince him to stay. Bayern Munich have talked about playing time, wages, kit number and who will be heading out to ensure he has a path to the starting XI. Chelsea mumbled something about training more and being happy with his opportunities, slapped a five-year contract on the table, then went off to discuss an extension for Willian.
Chelsea could maybe give Hudson-Odoi a better glimpse of his future if they knew what Eden Hazard’s future holds. Hazard is on his third year of playing footsie with Real Madrid. It would be better for all involved if he just flashed his keys and led Real upstairs.
Of course, Chelsea are not exactly bystanders to this saga. They could be offering ultimata along with contract extensions. This would take the affair off their plates, and would allow them to get on with the business of building the post-Hazard team. That includes the Callum Hudson-Odoi issue, but also the broader question of how many youth players they are willing to have on the front line. Does the club think they will need Willian and Pedro to provide leadership and transition to the post-Hazard world? Or will they see this as an opportunity to make a clean break towards the future?
The sooner Chelsea can force a resolution with Eden Hazard, the sooner they can plan for whatever comes next. But because one side is coy, one side is incompetent and both sides are afraid to look anyone in the eye, the Blues will be caught completely unprepared by whatever happens this summer.
Elsewhere on the pitch, Andreas Christensen is in much the same spot. He and his father-agent were ready to force a move in the January window, but their first-half ardor for his departure amounted to nothing last month. Nothing in January suggested an improvement in his stature, but something or someone convinced him to stay. If Maurizio Sarri does not plan to use him, what could Chelsea tell the Christensen’s to keep them in London?
Such apparent conflicts raise the question of how much Chelsea’s management and Maurizio Sarri are communicating with each other about either’s long-term plans. We know they have talked at least twice: the club would not have signed Jorginho and Gonzalo Higuain as part of any broader vision. So we conclude they listen to Sarri at least some of the time.
But does Sarri know what the club has in store for Hudson-Odoi, Hazard, Christensen and the rest? Does the club know what Sarri thinks or desires for them? The uncertainty and inaction suggests neither has a plan, or neither knows what the other’s plan is.
Beyond the practical aspects of planning for the next few transfer windows (or a transfer ban) and having the right players for the squad, straight-forward honesty is just basic professionalism and decency. Say what you want about the professionalism and maturity of a screaming match on the training ground followed six months later by a text message: at least Diego Costa knew precisely where he stood with Antonio Conte.
Maurizio Sarri is picking up a reputation for his brutal honesty about his players in the press conferences. However, that is not the forum where Chelsea need it.
Hopefully he was even more blunt over the summer and throughout the first half of the season with his exiles: Gary Cahill, Danny Drinkwater, Cesc Fabregas and Victor Moses. The only thing worse than an irredeemable snap judgment is if it is delivered passive-aggressively, with the players wondering what happened, what they did wrong and why they are frozen out. That Fabregas and Moses left in January suggests Sarri leveled with them. That Cahill and Drinkwater did not keeps the question open.
The club, coach and players owe each other and themselves some straight answers. Otherwise, the people making decisions will be working on much the same suppositions as the rest of us, and that is not a good situation for anyone.