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Chelsea can learn from Leicester City’s treatment of Kelechi Iheanacho

By Akshat Mehrish

LEICESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 01: Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea FC at The King Power Stadium on February 1, 2020 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)
LEICESTER, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 01: Kelechi Iheanacho of Leicester City during the Premier League match between Leicester City and Chelsea FC at The King Power Stadium on February 1, 2020 in Leicester, United Kingdom. (Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea’s Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech (L) celebrates with Chelsea’s German striker Timo Werner (R) after scoring the opening goal of the English FA Cup semi-final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in north west London on April 17, 2021. – Chelsea won the game 1-0. (Photo by ADAM DAVY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Chelsea’s Moroccan midfielder Hakim Ziyech (L) celebrates with Chelsea’s German striker Timo Werner (R) after scoring the opening goal of the English FA Cup semi-final football match between Chelsea and Manchester City at Wembley Stadium in north west London on April 17, 2021. – Chelsea won the game 1-0. (Photo by ADAM DAVY/POOL/AFP via Getty Images) /

Summer of decisions

Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech haven’t lived up to the expectations that their price tags brought yet. While there are no indications that the club has lost faith in them, murmurs from outside have theorized that they may be headed towards a swift exit. Some fans have been quick to lose faith too, as they did with Tammy Abraham last season. Consequently, Chelsea is expected to spend big on a new striker when the window opens.

While there may still be a future at Stamford Bridge for Werner and Ziyech, the same can’t be said for Abraham. Unfortunately, it looks like the damage has been done in that regard, with the forward expected to leave in the summer. As it turns out, he wasn’t the striker Chelsea was looking for, even though he has scored 30 goals in his two seasons with the senior team. The Blues will instead look for an option up front that guarantees goals. However, if there is one commodity that is non-existent in sport, it is a guarantee.

There is no guarantee that whoever walks in through the Stamford Bridge doors this summer will be a hit. They might suffer the same fate as a lot of their predecessors and could end up getting caught in the cycle themselves. The wise thing to do from Chelsea’s perspective would be to put its faith in the options it already has. The options the Blues paid for heavily or the ones who have spent their lives holding out for an opportunity.

As Leicester City has shown, a club does not need to compromise on its overarching goals as it continues to put its faith in players. Iheanacho will be on the lookout for his 18th goal of the season when the Foxes play Newcastle. He will be hoping to add to a growing glossary of good performances, repaying the club for the faith it put in him for so long. The question is—will Chelsea allow the likes of Werner, Abraham and Ziyech the time and patience to do the same?

Next. Chelsea loan army: Keep, loan or sell? Kenedy (Part 31). dark

What do you think the Blues do with these players in the summer? Let us know in the comments!

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