Chelsea has a wingback problem and it’s the worst kept secret in world football. The Blues have struggled ever since Ben Chilwell suffered his season-ending ACL injury against Juventus. Of course, the usual winter drag has something to do with that, but it’s no coincidence this time around. Factor in Reece James’ six to eight week absence during one of the most crucial periods of the season and you’ve got an even greater recipe for disaster. Thomas Tuchel has done about as well as one man could with what he’s got to work with in those areas of the pitch thus far.
The winter transfer window was supposed to provide some much-needed help for Chelsea. Alas, it’s now January 19 and reinforcements are yet to arrive. The Blues have been stuck playing with Marcos Alonso, Cesar Azpilicueta and a plethora of other rag-tag, makeshift defenders at wingback over the last few months. Tariq Lamptey cooked Alonso for the second time in a matter of weeks on Tuesday and that has got Chelsea supporters talking. As the old, tired conversation makes another round on social media, it’s time for Blues fans to be reminded to stop discussing their side’s team-building as the academy graduates are unrealistic pipe dreams.
Chelsea fans need to stop talking about Tariq Lamptey and Tino Livramento
One doesn’t need to look long or hard to find plenty of examples of Chelsea fumbling the bag when it comes to world class prospects. Everyone on planet Earth knows the names by now: Kevin De Bruyne, Mohamed Salah, Romelu Lukaku (until now), etc. History is not on the club’s side in this regard. The stories of Lamptey and Livramento are vastly different from the aforementioned stars though. This fact often gets brushed under the rug given the Blues’ track record, which often twists the reality of the circumstances under which each young prospect departed the club.
The situations of Lamptey and Livramento are actually best compared to one another. Lamptey had just been handed his Premier League debut by Frank Lampard around the time he exited the club. He had six months remaining on his deal and the Blues could’ve either let him walk for free or gotten some compensation for Lamptey leaving. Chelsea chose the latter—large in part due to the fact the words “free transfer” are not in Marina Granovskaia’s lexicon unless it relates to incoming players—and recouped a fee of around £3 million. Livramento had been named to the bench a few times before leaving but as he looked to finally be getting his chance to crack into Tuchel’s first team, he made the decision to leave on a permanent deal to ensure playing time. The Blues, who again weren’t in a position to negotiate, sold him for £5 million and slapped a buyback clause onto his deal. The club offered extensions to both players before their exits.
The reason they both made the decision to walk away from the reigning European Champions is there was no clear path into the first team. Many see this statement and automatically assume it’s a subtle way of saying the manager isn’t giving enough minutes to academy players. Once again, this was the case in past instances, but it has nothing to do with the path’s obstruction during Lamptey and Livramento’s journey’s through the ranks. Their biggest obstacle was overcoming one of the best young players in world football, Reece James.
This may be lost on some people during James’ extended absence with a torn hamstring. It’s not easy watching Alonso and Azpilicueta struggle with numerous games per week for long periods of time. The current circumstances in Chelsea’s starting XI make it so easy for casual observers to analyze the situation in west London and simply call it poor team building. The reality is the Blues have excellent depth, they’re just without two of their best players at the moment, playing three times per week. It’s easy to state Lamptey or Livramento would be better than Tuchel’s current options. However, that statement cannot be made without also acknowledging that neither was willing to take on the roles that Alonso and Azpilicueta have over the last two seasons.
Lamptey and Livramento are two exceptional English talents. They both chose to leave the club in the end though, not the other way around. Remember that the next time you want to compare them to Chelsea’s current wingback options.