Chelsea is only ever a few key players away from greatness

Chelsea has a habit of buying quantity over quality in the transfer market. The approach now seems different and the Blues are not far from greatness.

The main story of Frank Lampard’s managerial stint at Chelsea has been the youth revolution. He arrived amidst a transfer ban and immediately relied on the very successful Chelsea youth that had been largely ignored despite their success. He showed, immediately, that if they are good enough, they are old enough.

But that is only one half of the story. Lampard also came in to rebuild the squad. The team had won two Premier League titles in the past decade but had also struggled mightily around them. That spine of the squad is aging out and Lampard has to rebuild from within and without.

The rebuild is closer to completion than it is not. The youth revolution has helped but transfer will be needed to send the Blues over the line into title contenders. So far, the way Lampard’s Chelsea has approached the market has shown that they understand they are just a few key players away from their goal.

Chelsea has been in this position before. Jose Mourinho really only needed two or three more players to keep the Blues in the title race for years to come. Antonio Conte also only needed another one or two players. But the board and transfer scouts failed them both.

After those title wins, the targets were either plain, flat out, not good enough or they were bought in abundance as money ball style moves. What Chelsea needed was to splash the cash on those big name players but instead the board got the cheaper options in abundance. Quantity was very much not better than quality.

But part of doing that was the undercarriage of the squad did not stack up. The youth put that notion to bed. That leaves Chelsea in a strong spot when they enter the market. And finally, perhaps thanks to Petr Cech and Lampard, the board understands they would get more in the long run out of a few expensive players than out of many cheap ones even if the overall cost is the same.

Hakim Ziyech is but one piece of the puzzle. A striker/winger hybrid seems to be another key piece Lampard is looking for. After that it gets murky. The Blues will surely bring in a new keeper, but the only one they would bring in and expect to compete for a starting spot is Andre Onana and that is if he is as cheap as rumored. Left back has long been an issue and the rumors are quiet, but the Blues will surely consider someone for the role. At the very bottom of the rumor mill is the hunt for a center back, but that may not be necessary if the other key pieces added protect the defense.

So overall, that is really just three positions the club is actively pursuing and two more that they will if they still have cash in the bank. Really, with Ziyech already signed, it is just two and two. Not all the targets will be starters but they will offer options Chelsea does not have.

Simply getting the right players for those positions turns Chelsea from a team of kids and veterans into a team fighting for the title year after year. Manchester City succeeded with a shotgun approach simply due to how much cash they had to spend. The Blues will need to be more like Liverpool; smart in their signings over time until they too are at the top of the world.

Lampard is close to this. The board simply needs to do the right thing, this time, to help bring it all together. Then Chelsea can be in the talks for winning trophies once again.