People can debate until they’re blue in the face about what makes a club elite, but at the end of the day, Chelsea is doing the only thing it takes.
Chelsea had one of the best transfer windows in recent history, bringing in a plethora of star power in order to help Frank Lampard revamp his squad. Moments after the Blues concluded the campaign’s most boring contest against Krasnodar, Kai Havertz became the center of attention. The German wunderkind strolled to the sideline and took part in the post-match interview—that’s when it hit me. Havertz is a blue. The 21-year-old put pen to paper and signed with Chelsea over three months ago, but it’s finally beginning to settle in; the club has turned a corner.
Chelsea has been one of Europe’s giants ever since Roman Abramovich took over in 2003. However, it seems as if the Blues have begun dropping from the elite status ever since their Champions League win in 2012. Many fans of the self-proclaimed Pride of London will contest this claim, but it’s important to remember since then, the Blues haven’t come close to capturing the UCL and there was also a 10th place finish in the league wedged in there. It’s also worth noting there have also been an abundance of trophies, you cannot simply mention one without mentioning the other. Chelsea hasn’t been amongst the ranks of Barcelona, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich or even Paris Saint-Germain—that fact is quickly changing though.
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The Blues have been first class for decades, but have lacked the one important aspect recently that matters most when classifying clubs: the ability to consistently win. This trait is much more difficult to earn in England than other European countries, like France and Italy, where PSG and Juventus dominate their respective leagues.
There are six clubs in England that, throughout the history of the Premier League, start the year with a relatively equal shot of winning the title. There are the occasional one offs—like Blackburn Rovers and Leicester City—and then there is Tottenham, who remains a big six side despite never winning the rebranded English top flight. There are hunches as to who may win in a given year, but the beauty of the league is its unpredictability. This also leads to the exclusion of some clubs in the aforementioned big six from lists of European elites, however.
Chelsea is a prestigious club in all other senses of the term. The Blues have a rich history, despite what rivals supporters will teasingly say. The late 1960s and early ’70s saw the club involved in some of the continent’s biggest contests and the turn of the millennium has been kind, as well. Chelsea has been home to historic greats from Peter Osgood to Gianfranco Zola to Eden Hazard and everybody in between. Even to this day, as previously discussed, the Blues’ roster is filled with world class individuals like N’Golo Kante, Thiago Silva, Timo Werner and others.
Stamford Bridge is one of the most iconic sporting venues in the world. The Chelsea badge is donned almost anywhere you go and is amongst the most recognizable in the game. Even the blue threads and their American manufacturers are reputable across multiple continents. This all goes to show that Chelsea is a top tier team in terms of branding, but the Blues have fallen behind in terms of results.
Call it spoiled, ignorant or whatever you’d like, the fact of the matter is Chelsea hasn’t won enough to be considered an elite European team in recent years. Sure, the Blues have earned enough silverware to banter the neighboring clubs, but they have nothing on the Barcelona’s or Real Madrid’s of the world—until now.
Say what you will about Lampard’s tenure in charge of his beloved club thus far, he’s in the process of transforming the team and returning it to its former glory. The Blues are currently on a 14 (or 17, depending on who you ask) match unbeaten run in all competitions. They also sit third in the Premier League and topped Group E in the UCL, going unbeaten throughout the competition’s opening stage. Although the biggest tests lie ahead, Chelsea is currently on track to return to the list of elite European clubs due to its addiction to victory this season. The club’s vision for the future also has it sitting pretty for the better part of the next decade.
Many doubted the young English manager, but he’s silenced critics en route to returning his beloved club to the pinnacle of continental competition. We’ve got Super Frankie Lampard, and he’s known just what we needed all along.