Chelsea: The Blues need to move quickly for summer targets

Chelsea needs to move quickly to secure signatures from its summer targets. Given how quickly next season is approaching, the Blues need to be ready.

If Frank Lampard’s inaugural season showed us anything, it’s the fact that Chelsea has a lot to work on. The Blues’ defense is a mess, the keeper position is in shambles, there is an influx of players coming in and a mass exodus away from the club. In a regular transfer period, this could all be fixed without a doubt—but this isn’t a normal window.

Lampard’s squad is likely to conclude its season on August 8 in a Champions League Round of 16 second leg against Bayern Munich. The Blues travel to Germany after a packed Premier League schedule and an FA Cup final. However, if Chelsea is triumphant against its cross-town foes in the finale of the FA Cup—or if the team pulls off a miracle in Munich (wouldn’t be the first time)—the offseason will get a lot shorter. The Community Shield is scheduled for August 29, which would give Chelsea just a few weeks to prepare for next season.

For a team that has little room for error going forward, this shortened break can allow for many stones to be left unturned. In the three weeks between seasons, Lampard and his staff have a lot of decisions to make. Luckily, the gaffer knows which current players have no place in his squad next season; selling them is a different story. Selling each will take time, which could make for an awkward stint in between the start of the season and the window’s closure. Chelsea will also have to bring in new players and while the deadline for this isn’t August 29, it’s nice to be able to bring targets in pre-season. Otherwise, the club is throwing new players to the wolves from the off.

The Blues are eyeing big-money moves for players like Ben Chilwell, Kai Havertz, Andre Onana, a new centerback and possibly even Jan Oblak. These moves take time in a normal window, but in order to fix the issues in the current squad, the process needs to be sped up drastically. Each player Chelsea is linked with will play a crucial role in next year’s campaign. Liverpool set the tone coming out firing on all cylinders and remaining a model of consistency this season, there is little room for error in 2020/21. Unfortunately, this means Roman Abramovich will have to dig a little deeper than expected into his pockets.

Another unfortunate reality is the fact that Chelsea’s loan stars are more likely to be sent out again. Players like Ethan Ampadu, Marc Guehi and Conor Gallagher—who look to wiggle their way into the first team—are going to have less time to be evaluated by the new staff. Jody Morris, Lampard’s top assistant, is familiar with each, but that doesn’t mean the right decision will necessarily be made. The club may opt for the safe bet and loan each out again, even though it may not be what’s best as the season drags on. Luckily, not all aspects of the short offseason are negative.

One positive is that both Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech are already at Cobham training with the squad. Next season is sprinting towards us and it’s important to have two of the newest additions acclimated and comfortable with their teammates. The weeks training without pressure and getting back to match fitness are invaluable to the team as the managerial staff gets an idea of what it wants to tweak next season with the world class attack.

Whether or not the Blues win the FA Cup will have a massive impact on what the Blues decide to let players do in the coming weeks. Chances are, they’ll get a week-or-so off before returning to Cobham. A grueling schedule for sure, but we didn’t want to wait to see the new and improved squad in action anyway. September 12—or potentially August 29—cannot come soon enough.