Chelsea: Buying leaders is hard, so why not make them?

Many have said Chelsea need to buy leaders in the market. That is a hard ask, so why not just develop leaders in house like the old days?

There was a time when Chelsea seemed to have every leader in the world. Petr Cech, Didier Drogba, Michael Essien, Michael Ballack, and Frank Lampard and more all filled out the roster. But they all had one thing in common: John Terry was their captain.

Jose Mourinho named John Terry the captain over several other options. He had more experienced players and leaders from other teams, but there was something to be said about a player that was raised in house taking charge. It is a concept that cannot be forgotten.

The Blues currently lack a strong set of leaders. Many fans want the Blues to go into the market and bring some in. But a leader at one club is by no means a guarantee that they will lead at another. That is why the best option, should a spot become available, may be to raise them up in house and supplement the leadership from there like Terry with the others.

On paper, Chelsea has already brought in leaders. Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech have both been considered leaders at Leipzig and Ajax respectively. Jorginho was seen as one at Napoli though and that has failed to translate at Chelsea. Going further back, Antonio Rudiger was seen as one as well. That worked until his form dropped off a cliff and few would raise him up to be the man in charge now.

That transition from one club to the next may be exactly why Chelsea needs to look in house for their leadership rather than abroad. Mourinho made the bold decision to empower Terry over other options. Frank Lampard may need to do the same to fill the leadership gap.

The first issue with this is the players in the way. Terry was an excellent captain, but at the same time, he was so in command that when the Blues need someone to follow him, they had no one prepared. Cesar Azpilicueta and Jorginho do not have as much of a barrier as Terry did, but one or both of them would need to clear out to allow this plan to begin.

Jorginho is far more likely to go than Azpilicueta, which gives Chelsea a near ideal situation. Azpilicueta can remain the captain as the vice captain is empowered and prepared to succeed him. But who is ready for the responsibility?

One of the main criteria is going to have to be playing time. After all, what is the point of giving someone the captaincy/vice captaincy if they will struggle to make the pitch. That crosses out Fikayo Tomori and (sadly based on current form) Tammy Abraham. It likely excludes Ruben Loftus-Cheek as well since he will need to simply focus on himself for a bit. Callum Hudson-Odoi has never stricken as a leader, so he can be crossed off the list as well.

That leaves Reece James and Mason Mount. James is largely seen as the successor to Azpilicueta on the pitch. Mount, meanwhile, is not guaranteed playing time but due to his importance in Lampard’s tactics, he may find his way in more often than not. So who becomes the vice captain if Jorginho leaves?

This is a cop out answer but the answer should be both. Chelsea once had Terry as the captain, Lampard as the vice captain, and Cech was designated as third captain. Once the former two left, the practice faded away. Lampard can bring it back, but he can name both James and Mount as vice captain.

This will allow both to develop in their responsibilities until Azpilicueta departs. At that point, one can be made the captain while the other can remain vice captain. From there, Chelsea can bring in leaders that supplement the two like the club once did with Terry. It will take time, but it will surely work better than hoping leadership at one club transfers to the Blues.

The Blues need to get more creative in their practices if they see a leadership gap. The answer was there in their history, they need merely replicate it. Empower Mount and James as vice captain as soon as possible, raise them up, then build around them. History showed it can work and the Blues should consider it once again.