Transfer window gone mad forces Chelsea to smarten up

It is hard to separate the transfer window from being what it is and Chelsea. In the long term, this is all an evolution of Roman Abramovich’s mega spending being met and even outmatched as the business of football (especially in the Premier League) ballooned and inflated the market to astronomical levels. While many might have expected Covid to settle thing down, it does not appear to be having that effect.

Last summer, Chelsea was one of the few clubs with the cash to buy players. But, because other clubs didn’t have that cash, in many cases the cost of transfers rose. This summer, more clubs have cash to burn but there are still far too many that don’t. That’s also causing prices to inflate and it’s leaving even clubs like Chelsea in an awkward place. Achraf Hakimi is a great player, but not worth the numbers Paris Saint-Germain were willing to pay. Erling Haaland is also a great player, but some of the numbers going around his deal could cripple the club if it doesn’t work out.

More than anything, in an inflated market Chelsea simply can’t keep up with Manchester City or Paris Saint-Germain. That forces the Blues to be smarter.

This is not to make Chelsea out as a club that can’t compete in the market. But the Blues simply can’t be in a position to pay upwards of 80 million for a wingback for upwards of 120 million for Jack Grealish. The Haaland deal is potentially possible, but if it happens, it’s likely that it will be the only deal Chelsea do this summer without significant transfer sales boosting the coffers.

In some ways, the gulf between sums City can spend and Chelsea can spend are similar to those in other, “one team” leagues. Dortmund can’t keep up with Bayern Munich, Lyon can’t keep up with PSG, Atletico Madrid and Inter Milan can only hope for the occasional triumph to come out on top. That doesn’t mean all hope is lost. Liverpool was able to compete for major trophies not because they could keep up with City’s spending, but because they were smarter about their spending.

The solution for most of these clubs is to buy promise, develop it, and sell it to try to strengthen. That won’t work for Chelsea who want to, and clearly can still compete. The Liverpool model is closer to what the Blues should consider more than the Dortmund model.

What worked for Liverpool is backing Jurgen Klopp’s position. Not just keeping him in the job, but also when he said he wanted X player, they didn’t turn around and get him a Y player. Basically, the Chelsea equivalent would be backing Thomas Tuchel and only getting him the players he desires not the good enough alternatives.

And when that wasn’t possible, Klopp turned to younger players that matched the profile he was looking for. Some came from the academy, others returned from loan, and some were keen moneyball style transfers. Chelsea can do the same given they have one of the best academies in the world and have tons of talent on loan. The moneyball style transfers is where the snag might come. Far too often at Chelsea, transfers like that end up doing poorly and looking more like the poorly thought out Plan B or C options rather than anything inspired.

None of this stops Chelsea from going out and getting Haaland too. His age means he’d be around for some time (hopefully). But Chelsea just can’t afford a situation like City’s where they are considering Jack Grealish and Harry Kane in the same window. And, far too often the big money signings of Chelsea have been their worst signings. The likes of Eden Hazard, N’Golo Kante, and Cesar Azpilicueta came in for pennies compared to Fernando Torres, Alvaro Morata, and Kepa Arrizabalaga. That’s not even considering how much more Chelsea has spent to try to work around those poor signings.

The transfer market is inflating and doesn’t appear to be stopping. That’s leaving even a club like Chelsea in the dust when it comes to buying all the signings they want. Instead, the Blues will have to get smarter to compete with the likes of Manchester City in transfers. The Blues have shown signs of being able to do so with the likes of Edouard Mendy, but it is a long process to continue.