After a transfer saga that never really was, Luka Jovic has signed for Real Madrid. That should be the final nail in Chelsea’s ban appeal coffin.
Chelsea fans nearly unanimously wanted Luka Jovic to sign for the Blues. Often ignored in that desire was the fact that no credible source every linked him or the simple fact that Chelsea still had a transfer ban.
Even still, there was a sense that if the ban was successfully appealed, Chelsea would go all in for Jovic. But now that he has signed for Real Madrid, the ban appeal should be put to bed. There is simply no point anymore.
This is not really a new notion. Once the transfer window opened, there was little reason for Chelsea to continue a pursuit of an appeal. The Blues were already behind every single other club in the window and would be playing catch up if the appeal went through. But with Jovic off the table, what is the point now?
If Chelsea had to prioritize any position, it would be striker. Alvaro Morata was supposed to be the main man but that did not work out ultimately. Olivier Giroud was always supposed to be a stop gap. And when given the choice of solving the issue or bringing in another short term solution, Maurizio Sarri begged for Gonzalo Higuain. With Jovic off the table, there is no clear stand out target for the Blues to go for currently. So working with what they have should become the policy.
This has likely been the plan anyways. If reports are true that Sarri wanted support, then his leaving for Juventus implies that Chelsea accepted their fate with the ban. And if that is true, it could also explain why Jovic has now signed for Madrid if Chelsea was also an interested party (again, there is little indication of that).
So without a good reason to jump into the market with Jovic gone, the Blues should simply work with what is available and be ready to go next summer. This would have two effects. The first is Chelsea can avoid being drawn into the panic deals they would certainly be drawn into now. Gareth Bale to soften the loss of Eden Hazard for instance. The second is the obvious one of seeing if Tammy Abraham or Michy Batshuayi are diamonds in the rough or not.
The ban is a band-aid that needs to be ripped off eventually. Chelsea merely has a decision on whether they want this summer or next to buy. With perhaps the most obvious target off the table, there simply remains little reason to wait. The Blues must accept the ban as it stays and survive the season with the loan army and the academy to supplement the first team. Then next summer the Blues can fill in the remaining holes with the market on even playing ground as their rivals.
But until then, the ban is what it is and Jovic’s transfer should be the last nail in the appeal coffin.