Chelsea’s inactivity in the transfer window is a positive sign

Transfer windows bring out the absolute worst in football fans. This is especially true on deadline days. The worst takes are put out online for the world to see as supporters overreact to their club’s signings or the lack thereof. Chelsea fans are no stranger to the madness that is deadline day, the winter window in particular. While an absence of signings does not necessarily make for the most exciting months, additions are not always necessary.

The Blues opted to sit this window out and watch the chaos unfold from the sidelines. They were linked with an abundance of talent—everyone from Ousmane Dembele to Lucas Digne—but Thomas Tuchel and the board eventually decided to stand pat. This obviously irritated those who support the club as they continually brought up the club’s failure to back previous managers. They used this argument to reason why this harmonious marriage between Tuchel and the club will soon be put to the test. It’s easy to understand both sides in this scenario. However, let’s give the club a chance to prove it knows what it’s doing. In fact, it’s not too farfetched to state there are concrete reasons as to why Chelsea is better off not signing anybody in January.

Chelsea’s lack of signings in January is a positive sign moving forward

First and foremost, it’s important to remember that Tuchel hasn’t publicly begged for signings like some of his predecessors. The German has stated he is content with the current squad on numerous occasions, even going as far as to call its size “perfect” a few times, as well. The depth has run thin over the last few months due to injuries, COVID-19, fixture congestion and other factors; however, that’s hardly a reason to make some rushed additions.

The Blues are in the clear as things stand. Ben Chilwell is the only player who remains out long term, Reece James is set to return to training and the team has gotten a much-needed break between fixtures recently. Chelsea will have had almost two weeks off by the time it takes on Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup on Saturday, it will then travel to the UAE for the Club World Cup. The Tottenham game showed that a bit of time off (Tuchel gave the squad a two-day rest following the Brighton draw) can do these players the world of good. There was a time where warm bodies were a necessity around Cobham. That ship has since sailed by now. Tuchel guided it through some choppy waters to the best of his ability. The promised land is in sight and there’s nothing but sunshine and calm waters remaining on the rest of the journey, as long as the team doesn’t create its own waves.

The second reason the team is better off without new signings is because some of the players linked to the club—namely Dembele—would’ve caused more problems than originally anticipated upon arrival. This has nothing to do with the Frenchman himself, let’s make that abundantly clear right off the bat. However, The Athletic recently reported some tension between Tuchel and his forwards. The gaffer has some unhappy campers in his dressing room. As many as three forwards are contemplating their futures following their lack of minutes this season. Chelsea has a history of player revolutions, and they can gain ground quickly, so it’s a delicate situation at the moment.

Tuchel has handled player issues perfectly thus far. He, the club and the rest of the squad were seemingly aligned on the Lukaku situation and I must admit, that was a breath of fresh air to see. Now, the manager has to figure out how to walk this tight rope without upsetting the balance. It would’ve been a high risk, low reward move to bring in another forward before selling anybody in the winter. The Blues would have certainly not gotten the fee they would like to receive for one of their star attackers, so this business needs to wait until summer.

This brings us to the third and final point: the aforementioned season. Chelsea has put itself in pole position to make some splash signings in the summer due to its frugalness in January. The Blues have an extensive wishlist as Tuchel—who looks set to stay awhile—attempts to build a culture of his own around Stamford Bridge. This includes high caliber players such as Jules Kounde, Declan Rice, Aurelien Tchouameni and others. The club also needs to prioritize re-signing some important out-of-contract stars like Cesar Azpilicueta, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger. There are a lot of important decisions to be made and the lack of activity in the winter window means that Chelsea has financial freedom come July.

There was a time and a place for the Blues to make additions to the team and transfer deadline day was neither. Chelsea has already gotten back on its feet and recovered from its fall from grace in the last few months. As one door closes, another one gets set to open. Petr Cech, Marina Granovskaia and Tuchel can now get a head start on planning for the summer—together.

What do you make of the Blues’ inactivity? Let us know in the comments or on Twitter!