Chelsea’s pursuit of Chilwell is a sign of the times changing

In years past, Chelsea tried to sniff out the best possible deal in every scenario, often settling for lesser players.

Chelsea and Leicester City’s Ben Chilwell share a mutual interest in one another. The Blues are looking to make a move for the left back this summer, with the 23-year-old being their top priority in the transfer market.  As left back is one of the club’s key weaknesses, seeing the Blues tackle the issue is encouraging.

Chelsea’s pursuit of Chilwell shows the club is committed to signing the best possible players. Throughout the last few seasons, a lot of the team’s problems trace back to the Blues settling for lesser players. This is one of the main reasons Antonio Conte isn’t coaching Chelsea anymore, the club was not going to make the same mistake with Frank Lampard.

A quick look at the current first team squad tells all. The positions the Blues are now looking at have been positions of need for years, but the board chose to fill those spots with temporary plugs instead of permanent solutions. Marcos Alonso was fantastic for Conte, but the Italian wanted a top-tier left wing back who could also play left back. Conte begged and pleaded for Alex Sandro, but the Blues went with a cheaper alternative in Emerson. Now, with neither Alonso or Emerson being good enough, Chelsea is left with the same problem. Luckily, Chilwell represents a long-term answer at a position the Blues have needed to strengthen since Conte’s reign.

Other players like Davide Zappacosta, Alvaro Morata and Ross Barkley are embodiments of the same idea. Each player had the upside to turn into a top talent, but none were the manager’s first choice at the time. Rather, they represented cheaper fixes and so the Blues pulled the trigger.

For this reason, seeing Chelsea seriously linked with players like Chilwell and Timo Werner is a relief. The legitimate rumors are a welcome sight for fans who have suffered from the board’s incompetence for too long. Lampard’s arrival mended the bridges Sarri had burned with fans, but it also made something in the board’s minds click.

Mediocrity is no longer an option at Chelsea Football Club and for the first time in years, it seems all parties are on the same page. This summer presents the Blues with a unique opportunity to make up for the past few seasons. Chelsea is in a position to elevate itself to the top of English football—joining Manchester City and Liverpool—and all the club needs is a few marquee signings.

The last few signings for the Blues are all players who have world class potential, if they aren’t world class already. Christian Pulisic, Mateo Kovacic, Hakim Ziyech and now possibly Chilwell; those are not names the Chelsea board would have brought in a few years ago. Instead, those players are physical representations of a revolution—or reinvention—at Chelsea.

Chilwell is seemingly the tip of the iceberg. If Chelsea can get that deal over the line and secure the Englishman’s signature, there will surely be more brilliant signings to come. The future is looking bright as Lampard has come to revive the Blues once again.