Chelsea: Excitement around new signings must be met with equal caution

There is a lot of excitement around the Chelsea squad—particularly the new signings—for this season, but be cautious, as well.

Chelsea has invested a lot of money into a lot of very talented individuals this summer, and the rewards could be extravagant. Yet, the Blues have been down this route before with varied success, hence why the fanfare surrounding the newest recruits must be handled with care.

Very few in world football have matched the capturing power Chelsea has continued to boast ever since the transfer burden was lifted off its mighty shoulders. Whether it the promise of Champions League football, a financial incentive, the persuasion of Premier League action or the appreciation for Frank Lampard, stars from across the world are wanting a piece of the Blues pie.

Whilst the understandable hype surrounding this stellar squad increases, it is worth mentioning this is nothing new for Chelsea. Roman Abramovich has never shied away from wielding his cheque book in luring the best to Stamford Bridge. Since his Russian rein began in 2003, waves of players have entered and departed the Blues home, some a far greater investment than others.

Didier Drogba, Petr Cech, Ashley Cole, Ricardo Carvahlo, Michael Essien and the likes built the foundations for which Chelsea rose to power from. The Blues’ inclusion in the past and present state of the club cannot be understated. Although Timo Werner, Hakim Ziyech, Ben Chilwell, Thiago Silva and eventually Kai Havertz appear set to start the future of Lampard’s revolution, many names of similar elk have come before them and failed.

A quick glance down Chelsea’s recent transfer history and the list of expensive disappointments is apparent. Alvaro Morata arrived as the then-record signing, costing £60m from Real Madrid in 2017, going on to become one of the most ridiculed strikers to step foot in England. Tiemoue Bakayoko joined from Monaco for £40m, only to be loaned back 24 months later following a failed stint in the English capital. Danny Drinkwater is arguably the sorriest case of the lot. Arriving from Leicester City for £35m, the 30-year-old has made just 23 appearances in a Chelsea shirt, just one of those being made in the 2018/19 campaign after Maurizio Sarri saw no reason to include him.

There have been numerous other examples: Michy Batshauyi (£33m), Juan Cuadrado (£23.3m), Davide Zappacosta (23m), Kepa Arrizbalaga (£71m) and Jorginho (£50m) are just a small collection of underwhelming Chelsea acquisitions.

All of these mentioned were bought for pretty big bucks off the back of either winning silverware or signs of individual promise in one way or another. Morata had won La Liga and the Champions League with Real, despite a majority of his contributions coming from the bench. Bakayoko became a Ligue 1 winner with Monaco, has also been a bit part in his previous two spells.

Drinkwater achieved the seemingly impossible with Leicester as the Foxes won the Premier League. Batshauyi netted 23 goals for Marseille before his move, Cuadrado impressed at the 2014 World Cup with Columbia, whereas Zappacosta was known to Antonio Conte through the Italian national team.

Arrizabalaga became the world’s most expensive goalkeeper thanks to a decent season with Athletico Bilbao. He saved two penalties, made the third highest number of saves in La Liga, and executed more long-range passes than any other keeper in the Spanish topflight. Not to mention, he earned a call up to Spain’s senior international side. Jorginho was shackled to Sarri, as the Italian pair arrived from Napoli having finished second in Seria A behind Juventus. The midfielder was vital to Sarriball in Naples, not earning the same praise here in London.

This theme runs throughout these lost Chelsea causes. Ironically, parallels can be made to those only just starting their journey as a Blue. Ziyech picked up the domestic double in Holland, demonstrating his talent in Europe also. Prior to that, the Moroccan had never lifted silverware in his professional career. Werner was scoring for fun in the Bundesliga; however, the closest he ever got was runner-up in the DFP-Pokal with RB Leipzig, aside from the FIFA Confederations Cup win with Germany in 2017.

Chilwell cannot really boast about being part of the fantastical Foxes set up that won the league against unimaginable odds, considering he was sent out on loan to Huddersfield Town that year. Havertz has been a revelation in Germany, finishing runner-up as the country’s Footballer of the Year in 2018/19 and becoming become the youngest ever player to reach 100 Bundesliga appearances. Ultimately, he could only propel Bayer Leverkusen into a Europa League spot and became a beaten finalist to Bayern in the cup.

Granted, the three, excluding Ziyech, are still fledglings in the overarching picture and still have vast opportunities to expand their CVs. Yet, Chelsea fans must not expect the world of them immediately, like perhaps they have done in the past.

Do not jump to conclusion that they will be the answers just because of their recent repertoires. Avoid overhyping and the Blues may avoid another catastrophe in their recruitment policy.