Chelsea transfers: Jules Kounde approach is encouraging

Chelsea’s transfer approach can be frustrating at times. In a world where Manchester City is throwing £100 million at Aston Villa for Jack Grealish, Paris Saint-Germain is paying insane wages to a handful of new signings and Arsenal is buying inexperienced centerbacks for £50 million, the Blues have been quiet. It’s nothing out of the ordinary, last summer can just be seen as a bit of an outlier. Chelsea went unopposed and was able to spend big on a majority of its targets. This is vastly different from the way the club usually negotiates.

Marina Granovskaia’s outlook on deals can undoubtedly be infuriating sometimes. It’s seen the Blues settle for players like Davide Zappacosta at the last minute or Emerson instead of top targets, like Alex Sandro. The current inactivity has reintroduced fear into the minds of supporters as they pray their beloved club doesn’t repeat its past market mistakes. However, there’s no denying the brilliance of Granovskaia either. It’s that stingy, yet adept, business that allowed Chelsea to build an elite squad for Thomas Tuchel in the first place. The Blues’ current attitude is encouraging for the weeks ahead, as well.

Chelsea’s approach to a possible Jules Kounde transfer is encouraging.

It’s well known now that Chelsea is currently in talks with Sevilla for centerback Jules Kounde. A situation that seemed like a sure signing earlier in the week has gotten a bit more complicated though as talks between the two clubs have slowed down a bit. In the past this would have signified the Blues getting cold feet or looking at alternatives—not this time. Simon Johnson of The Athletic reported on Friday morning that Chelsea is determined to sign Kounde this summer after two years scouting the young French centerback.

The fact the Blues are not allowing a few million pounds get in the way of bringing in the player that they want is a breath of fresh air to supporters who were beginning to worry. The transfer window has been open for almost two whole months now and with just one month remaining, the only thing Chelsea has to show for it is a third-choice goalkeeper. Fans were starting to draw comparisons to the 2017/18 window in which the Blues added the two aforementioned back-up fullbacks. It’s become somewhat of a nightmare scenario, especially when one considers the other business (Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Danny Drinkwater) done by the club that campaign. Chelsea’s resolve is no agreed Erling Haaland transfer, but it’s a step in the right direction.

Perhaps the most refreshing part of the recent report is the fact Blues believers no longer have to stress out about the deal falling apart at the expense of a third party like Kurt Zouma or West Ham. It looks as if Granovskaia and Co. are ready to take that next step toward building their empire. Chelsea is the defending Champion of Europe, the club cannot allow teams like Sevilla keep it from signing top targets like Kounde. The Blues finally seem to be grabbing the bull by the horns and claiming its seat at the big kid’s table.

All of this being said, Chelsea is not going to be able to bring in every player it sets its sights on. Achraf Hakimi showed us this when he chose Paris Saint-Germain over the 2020/21 Champions League winner just a few weeks ago. The Blues don’t have the pull power (or the incompetent executives) of clubs like Barcelona, they will continue to be smart, but bolder. The prospect of signing Kounde is incredibly exciting as it’d signify Chelsea announcing itself to the transfer market. In a more general sense though, the club’s stance when dealing with pushback on transfers is about setting a precedent—and an exciting one at that.

Who would you like to see the Blues bring in over the course of the next month? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!