It’s not often Marina Granovskaia makes mistakes. The Chelsea transfer guru has led the charge as the club has built the best team in Europe (at least for now). The Blues are undoubtedly one of the deepest and most well-constructed teams on the continent, which represents a massive change from where they were at just two seasons ago in Frank Lampard’s first season. No matter what one thinks about the likes of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and other recent acquisitions, the transfers were a smashing hit in west London. The trophy with the big ears can validate this claim.
The club record signing of Romelu Lukaku kicked off the 2021 summer transfer window with a bang. Chelsea had filled its biggest hole and looked like a frontrunner for the Premier League title. The addition of Spanish midfielder Saul on loan from Atletico Madrid in the final minutes of the window solidified the fact the Blues were legitimate contenders. Nevertheless, it’s the one player Chelsea missed out on that could see the club come back to rue its decision.
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Chelsea made a mistake by not purchasing Sevilla centerback Jules Kounde during the summer transfer window
The Blues spent the entire summer flirting with Sevilla centerback Jules Kounde. The club and player agreed to personal terms as early as July and a move seemed all but certain. However, when it came time for Chelsea to put its money where its mouth is, the club decided against buying the defender. The two sides had reportedly verbally agreed on a fee but the Spaniards pulled out after the Blues failed to meet their deadline. The situation turned toxic as two of football’s most respected directors became locked in a scene straight out of an old western. Granovskaia didn’t budge and there are good reasons as to why, but it’s frustrating for fans nonetheless.
Chelsea is going to eventually regret not moving for the centerback though. Kounde’s situation is unlike Kylian Mbappe’s, although many believe the French compatriots are in the same boat. While both young stars want to leave their current clubs for greener pastures, Mbappe can begin negotiating his future in January. Kounde cannot as his current deal runs through 2024. Real Madrid is going to end up with the former on a free transfer; it could end up with the latter too.
The Spanish giants have reportedly been interested in Kounde for quite some time. The reason they did not make a move this summer is because all of their resources went toward trying to pry Mbappe from Paris Saint-Germain. Now that the French forward is presumably coming on a free, Florentino Perez is free to splash his cash wherever he sees fit in the coming windows. The reality of the situation is—despite being reigning Champions of Europe—the Blues usually come out on the losing end of bidding wars with Los Blancos. Real Madrid is just one of a handful of teams that could swoop in for the centerback throughout the next few windows as well. Chelsea has already missed out on other young, world class centerback talents like Dayot Upamecano and Ibrahima Konate, it won’t want to fall even further behind in the race for sustained defensive dominance.
The Blues could also find themselves in a sticky situation come next summer. They currently have five centerbacks in the first team (Cesar Azpilicueta, Trevoh Chalobah, Andreas Christensen, Antonio Rudiger and Thiago Silva), four of which are able to begin discussing their futures with other clubs in a number of months. Chalobah is the individual under contract the longest, his deal expires in 2023. It must be noted that the former three are deep in talks to receive extensions and an offer has been made to Rudiger. Regardless, if things take an unexpected turn for the worst, Chelsea could be in some trouble. A potential centerback contract crisis could leave the Blues scrambling. The footballing world would undoubtedly take notice and Chelsea could be forced to pay even more if it wanted to swoop back in for Kounde in future windows.
The problem with this current situation is the fact the Blues have taken Kounde’s future out of their hands. All they had to do was pay the defender’s release clause and they’d have secured one of the most promising centerbacks in the world. However, the 22-year-old’s next move is now out of their control, regardless of whether or not they choose to pursue him again in the winter.
Do you think Chelsea should’ve paid Kounde’s clause? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!