Chelsea’s summer transfer window, Part II: Where to spend £377 million

Chelsea’s transfer strategy this summer should be to add only elite level talent. They have for too many years simply added mediocrity and then watched as the average ability of the side slipped into the doldrums we currently see.

With the post-transfer window signing of Moroccan international Hakim Ziyech, Chelsea not only have a good deal but fill a desperate need. Is there anyone in the squad at the moment who actually, regularly hits a decisive pass? No. Not one. You know Jorginho doesn’t, so shush.

For the other players who Chelsea should bring in we’ll use TransferMarkt’s estimated market value plus 12%, simply because that should placate those difficult few of you and represent a more honest appreciation of the market’s lunacy. No one actually pays an objectively valued fee, unless, of course, that player has a contractual minimum transfer fee.

The first purchase should be Jadon Sancho. This is a club-galvanizing and excitement-building signing. His market value is a cool £102 million. Add the 12%, and that’s £114 million. Sign that on the first day of the transfer window.

With a combination of Sancho, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Christian Pulisic and Ziyech – who can also threaten from deep and whose genius passing may be better utilized loading the gun rather than firing it – Chelsea will have the best winger combination in the world. Moreover, each can play full out every match with Frank Lampard knowing he can rotate perfectly. Since Bayern Munich had Arjen Robben and Franck Ribery or Chelsea themselves had Robben, Damien Duff, Joe Cole and Shaun Wright-Philips, no one has had a better combination. No one.

The next stop for the remaining £263 million is a proper back-up striker. Timo Werner is tempting, of course, but he seems far more interested in Liverpool. The Blues should not buy someone knowing they are his second choice. If you don’t want to play for Chelsea, then don’t. The club certainly shouldn’t pay for that disrespect. Need we go over the Thibaut Courtois scenario yet again?

The other player Chelsea are interested in is Moussa Dembele. His collection of sheer strength, physicality, speed, instinctual goal scoring and British football experience gives him a step up. His estimated fee is £34 million, so let’s call it £38 million.

Then, in the need for some experience around the house and a player Tammy Abraham can model himself after, they should sign Edinson Cavani for free.

A player like him is important because when it’s only kids in the locker room, things can go south. You need a combination of ages and experiences. His renown, record and experience will make a good impression.

Tammy Abraham said he wants to learn from him. Cavani shouldn’t expect his Paris Saint-Germain salary, and if he did the Blues should back off. He’s to be a back-up / mentor and striking coach. Sign him for two years with a club option and all he has to do is teach, play cup matches (sometimes) and shop around the King’s Road.

Now we’ve addressed all the attacking issues and have £225 million left. The midfield won’t take a significant hit simply because Ross Barkley rarely plays and N’Golo Kante can be moved back to where he should be and where his body’s breakdown is suggesting he probably should always have been. For three midfield positions, having Kante, Billy Gilmour, Mason Mount, Mateo Kovacic and Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a great start. Hakim Ziyech will sometimes play as a roaming 10 with two defensive minded players like Kante and Kovacic, so the midfield is nearly perfect.

That said, the Blues should still add Kai Havertz for £87.5 million, but they should be willing to pay up to £92.5 million. But since Chelsea won’t need him right away, include an immediate loan back to Germany for one season. This will help get the deal across the line while letting Frank Lampard continue to sort through the team, in particular a better read on Loftus-Cheek. However, if Bayer Leverkeusen will sell him without the loan-back and Lampard wants him, why make everyone wait.

Now for the business end of the remaining £132 million.

If you know me, you know Chelsea’s defence is one of the peeves of my life at the moment. A well-organized and oiled defence is as much a thing of beauty as a great attack. It is a Tadao Ando piece of architecture compared to a Gaudi. Different, yet of equal beauty.

The big rumor at the back is Ben Chilwell. For some reason the newspapers in their insipidity have suggested £80 million. I doubt even Leicester feel that way.

His value is roughly £43 million. If we add the 12% that comes out to £48 million, and we’ll just round that up to £50 million. Since there’s usually an absurd English-in-England-from-an-English-club tax of about 10%, Chelsea could end up paying £55 million. They should not go higher than that. Otherwise, trigger Alex Telles’ £33.5 million release clause.

Down to £77 million left in the bank. Ian Maatsen should be the back up to Ben Chilwell in the matchday squad, and if not he then Cesar Azpilicueta is still the world’s best damn soldier. Azpilicueta and Fikayo Tomori can share backing up Reece James on the right.

Before anyone performs major surgery on the defence, Frank Lampard should spend one more year trying to sort out if any of them are even fine, let alone close to what should be Chelsea’s John Terry – Ricardo Carvalho standard.

But that’s an issue for next season and the £77 million should be left to collect interest. If you want, by all means subtract Hakim Ziyech’s transfer fee and that leaves the Blues £39 million in the black.

Kepa Arrizabalaga simply deserves more time to get sorted. He’s not had a manager more than a year or a defence more than 10 games and he’s a young boy in a foreign country. Before swapping him the Blues should give him one or two more years while the rest of the squad beds in. Behind him, Jamie Cumming is a good deputy, challenger and possible starter.

Let us hope they do something similar to this (or just hire me, as has been the goal for years) and then we can all rest easy.