Patience will be key during the current transition at Chelsea

The 2022 preseason has been anything but successful for Chelsea so far. The results have been less than stellar on the pitch, with losses to both Charlotte FC and Arsenal putting the squad’s weaknesses on full display for an international audience. The 4-0 drubbing by the Gunners was particularly concerning, as the Blues showed no resistance to Mikel Arteta’s collection of energetic and dynamic attacking players. Somehow, things have been even worse away from these games. Nearly every high-profile transfer target has been lured away to another club and Todd Boehly is running out of time to make meaningful signings. According to a large portion of the fanbase on Twitter, it’s time to hit the panic button.

While things are looking bleak around the Bridge right now, nobody should be particularly surprised. Times of transition are always difficult for professional sports teams, and Chelsea’s sale had more unique challenges than your run of the mill, multi-billion-dollar transaction. The sanctions put on the club at the beginning of March have had a far greater impact on the new regime’s day-to-day operations than most probably realize. Boehly and his crew have had to re-establish the Blues’ operational structure on the fly, while also improving an aging squad in desperate need of a refresh in the most competitive league on the planet. It’s obviously a massive job that, if done correctly, is going to take quite some time.

Chelsea fans need to develop some patience this summer amidst rebuild

For me, the most pressing issue surrounding the Blues at the moment is the squad’s makeup. It’s an unusual collection of players who were signed by different managers to fit different systems during different eras in the club’s history. Thomas Tuchel has done his best to fit square pegs in round holes during his tenure so far, but at a certain point, he will need a group that thrives in his desired playing style.

An image of the Manchester City squad that Pep Guardiola inherited has done the rounds on social media over the past few days, highlighting the fact that Kevin De Bruyne—one of the greatest midfielders of this generation—is the only player remaining from before the Catalan arrived in 2016. I’m sure the picture of Liverpool’s team before Jurgen Klopp took over would be similar. To compare Chelsea to these juggernauts that have been built over time with well-executed foresight is setting ourselves up for disappointment.

This re-tooling is probably best for the Blues, who intend to stay for the long haul, as well. Tuchel’s press conference following the Arsenal defeat was uncharacteristically emotional, during which he slammed his players’ commitment, specifically those with one eye on the exit door. The German tactician even admitted he cannot guarantee that Chelsea will be ready for the start of the new season. He had this to say from Orlando on Saturday night:

"“(There was) a level of mental commitment that we lacked because we have a lot of players who are thinking about leaving and looking at their options. We got sanctioned and players left us. We know that some players are trying to leave us and this is where it is.”"

This lackadaisical, unfocused attitude has clearly infected a significant percentage of the squad and it is negatively influencing the team’s results. The longer these wantaways hang around the dressing room, the more likely it is that younger, more impressionable players will pick up the same mentality. It’s better for everyone involved if those who want to go are allowed to go, and this housekeeping task needs to happen sooner rather than later.

There are, of course, a million other off-the-field considerations for Boehly and Chelsea’s new hierarchy. There is no way for the ownership to snap its fingers and magically fix every problem facing the Blues, no matter how much money or business prowess it brings to the table. Building a dominant club in terms of both on-the-field success and commercial viability—like Manchester City—is a project that requires years of effort and financial investment.

It will take time. There will be ups and downs that frustrate this fanbase, one which has been spoiled by its team’s recent accomplishments, but patience will be key throughout the process. Resorting to the endless hiring-firing cycle under Roman Abramovich is not a forward-looking or sustainable strategy, which is what Chelsea needs most in this time of great transition.