Anyone can casually drop a name and say he would “improve the team massively”, seeing as Chelsea are still struggling to find their feet. Some players, though, are not worth the chatter.
With no football, those people who start transfer rumours have nothing new to come up: no new glaring needs for clubs based on single-game performances, no new must-buy players based on emotive fan reactions to limited out-of-context excellence. These players keep coming up in the rumour mill, and Chelsea should ensure they stay there and don’t somehow find their way to Stamford Bridge.
1. Leon Bailey: Placeholder rumour (Varun Dani)
When journalists have no solid content to report, there are certain rumours they fall back on and recycle. Gareth Bale to Manchester United is a prime example of it. In recent seasons, Chelsea has had its own Bale-esque rumour via Leon Bailey.
The mercurial winger rose to prominence in the 2017/18 season, scoring and creating goals for fun. The pacey, two-footed trickster seemed to have all the traits to be the big thing and, for a while, the link to Chelsea may have had legs after all. But to everyone’s surprise, no move materialised and the youngster ended up staying at Bayer Leverkusen.
Two years on, it is easy to see why.
Bailey, for all his natural gifts, has glaring attitude problems, as demonstrated by his constant clashes with the managers and board members, both at club and country. These problems have manifested into subpar performances on the field, the player a shadow of his former self.
While there is no doubt that he can still blossom into an exceptional player, it will require close guidance and a lot of time to do so.
Frank Lampard already has hands full with Christian Pulisic and Callum Hudson-Odoi in the young wingers department and would rather have an experienced winger to mentor the youngsters, which seems to be the idea behind bringing Ziyech to the club.
2. Jadon Sancho: Too much of a luxury (Olaoluwa Nwobodo)
We’ve already discussed why Isco is a bad choice. Jadon Sancho’s name has been making the rounds on almost every sports media outlet there is. “He would be a fantastic addition to the team” is the refrain. That is true. That statement is also true for a thousand other players.
Chelsea should not go after Sancho not because he would not be a fantastic addition to the team – he would be – but because he is not an essential addition. Not even close. This is even more true with the arrival of Hakim Ziyech, who will increase Chelsea’s chance creation numbers geometrically.
Jadon Sancho is a luxury. Chelsea cannot afford luxury signings at the moment. They already have one.
Chelsea needs to strengthen other positions so badly that a big signing like Sancho would reduce the chances of getting quality reinforcements across the pitch, if not preclude those chances altogether.
They need a striker – not just someone to back up Tammy Abraham, but someone who can be called upon when Abraham hits a rough patch. Chelsea also need a new left back, especially if they sell Marcos Alonso (they shouldn’t). The Blues may need another defensive midfielder to shore up the defensive and reduce take a bite out of the goals conceded stat. Chelsea may also need one center-back (not Nathan Ake). A center-back who is going to lead the back-line, if not the whole team.
All these signings become near impossible with the purchase of a Jadon Sancho-type player.
3. Kevin De Bruyne: The moment has passed (Scott Brant)
Chelsea should stay away from any player who is over 30, and any player who has previously played for the Blues.
I understand why everyone would love to see Kevin De Bruyne return to Stamford Bridge, but he’s at his peak currently, which means Chelsea would only get the downside of a player they once had in their possession.
With the youth revolution that is currently underway, the Blues should not spend unwisely on long term deals for older players. The money must be spent strategically. The guidepost should be what they need to build a dynasty around the spine they already have.
The argument of needing experience is valid, but experience is already there in key figures like Cesar Azpilicueta, N’Golo Kante, and Mateo Kovacic. Edinson Cavani would have been a worthwhile addition during winter break because he would not have been staying for long and Chelsea could have used him to better their position before the end of the season. But now he represents the extreme of what the club don’t need.
Chelsea has always been a bit a joke when it comes to signing players at the right times or letting them go too early. They always seem to miss the prime time for player recruitment: they let them go before they become good, or get them on the down slope after their prime.
The Blues are incredibly young and have a very bright future. It’s imperative not to ruin it before it’s begun.
Spend wisely, stay within your means, and ask yourself: are all players the Chelsea type? When winning is what matters, there’s more than just an eye test.