Chelsea transfers: Weekend roundup for July 10-11
Chelsea’s transfer dealings have been very quiet, especially when it comes to bringing in players. When seeing teams like Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester United splashing the cash, there seems to be this panic in the Blues’ fan base. That feeling of panic only intensified worse when Chelsea seemingly lost the race for Achraf Hakimi. One message that needs to be conveyed to the fans who are freaking out regarding the lack of incomings is that the Blues already have a very young squad. At the same time, they also have a very bloated squad. Incomings are important to every team, but trimming the squad this season is also an important task for Marina Granovskaia.
Transfer deals are very difficult these days due to the global pandemic. When you mix in an international tournament, these moves become as good as impossible. Players representing their countries prefer to focus on their performances rather than themselves and where they will play during the upcoming campaign.
Saying all of this doesn’t mean that the transfer rumours will stop though; there are all kinds of whispers circulating in the market. Some of these rumours have some legs to them and some of them obviously will not, but don’t worry, The Pride of London has you covered. This is the first installment of a series that I—Roshaan Kapoor—am working on, where I will bring you the latest news in a centralized location during the weekend.
These are some of the transfer rumours from the past week which can very well be the completed deals soon:
1. Trevoh Chalobah close to signing for West Bromwich Albion
According to various reports, Chelsea academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah is closing in on a shocking permanent move to West Bromwich Albion. This move is made even more puzzling when one considers the talks have him leaving for free.
This comes as a huge surprise that the Chelsea board is willing to let the highly-rated academy graduate leave for free, even though his contract with the club will expire in June 2023. The 22-year-old defensive midfielder—who has represented the England U21 on three separate occasions—recently had an impressive loan spell with FC Lorient. He made 30 appearances for the French club and chipped in with two goals, one of which helped the club survive relegation.
Chalobah has been a part of the club since 2007, winning the U18s, UEFA Youth League and FA Youth Cup twice. The first loan move for the versatile player, who can play in midfield and at the back, came in the 2018/19 season when he signed for Ipswich Town. He went on to make 44 appearances for the Tractor Boys, scoring twice and assisting once. Next came a loan move to Huddersfield Town, in the Championship, where he made 38 appearances and scored just once.
West Brom needs quality midfielders in its team after the departure of Conor Gallagher, Okay Yokuslu, and Ainsley Maitland-Niles to their respective parent clubs. Signing a player of Chalobah’s attributes, especially on a free, would turn out to be a bargain for the Baggies. With both Jake Livermore and Romaine Sawyers turning 32 and 30 respectively in November, Chalobah could seamlessly fit into Valerien Ismael’s system for the long run and help them in the hunt for promotion. This deal is the one to keep an eye out for as it can progress very quickly in the next week or so.