Who will leave Chelsea this summer? That is as important a question as the signings that are going to be made. Let’s not forget, the club are not in a great financial position. They have not qualified for the Champions League in three out of four seasons since the BlueCo takeover. The club have not had a long-term front-of-shirt sponsor for years. And they were fined by UEFA last summer for breaking financial monitoring rules. They will continue to be monitored and future fines are a possibility.
So, all things considered, it is hard to imagine that Chelsea are in a brilliant financial situation right now. They might need to raise funds by moving out players before thinking about making signings.
The club do have a number of players who simply are not meeting expectations right now. A few of them leaving would not be the worst idea in the world. In fact, it looks like there are five who could be on their way out the exit door if suitable offers arrive.
According to a report from Max Fretwell on Striver Football, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap, Benoit Badiashile, Tosin Adarabioyo and Filip Jorgensen want more game time. These five are expected to leave if the club receive satisfactory transfer bids.
Chelsea’s recruitment has been their biggest problem since the BlueCo takeover
Out of the five names mentioned, two were signed just last summer. That just goes to show how poor Chelsea’s recruitment has been in recent times. In fact, it might very well be their biggest problem since the BlueCo takeover. Close to a couple of billion pounds have been spent. And they have not been able to put together a squad that qualifies consistently for the Champions League. That should not even be possible. Yet, here we are.
It remains to be seen how much money Chelsea can bring in from transfer exits. Out of the five players named, Tosin might be the only one the Blues can make a transfer profit on. He was signed as a free agent.
But if they can be moved on and Chelsea are able to sign two or three solid players, who will make an impact on the first-team, then it would be a net positive and take the club forward.
Xabi Alonso should have a major say in Chelsea transfers this summer
One advantage that Chelsea will have this summer is that incoming manager Xabi Alonso is expected to have a large say on transfer matters. That should help a ton.
When the team is built on a manager’s vision, that should help him directly on the pitch. Of course, on paper, the idea of a recruitment team makes sense. That way, you can replace a coach without expecting to tweak too much with the squad.
But that simply has not worked out well for Chelsea. There is a debate to be had about whether it works out for anybody. Managerial stints have generally grown shorter across leagues. Is that a result of them trying to get the best out of somebody else’s vision instead of working on their own?
Sourav Mahanty
Sourav Mahanty has covered teams like Chelsea, Celtic, Real Madrid, Manchester United, PSG and more over a career that has now lasted a decade. His work has been featured on Sports Illustrated, Athlon Sports, SB Nation, FanSided, The Sportster and aggregated through Bleacher Report and NewsNow. Outside of football, he is also interested in basketball, cricket and professional wrestling.
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