Going into the summer transfer window, the message has been that Chelsea will look to sign proven and experienced players. That is definitely the right path to take as well. This young squad has a ton of talent. On their day, they can get the better of anyone, as we saw against PSG in the Club World Cup final. That being said, they simply are not consistent enough.
This season, Chelsea have finished 10th in the Premier League. They won’t be playing any level of European football next season. Nine other English teams will.
That is simply unacceptable. Chelsea need to improve. Signing senior players will be one way to do that. But another would be bringing in players Xabi Alonso already knows how to get the best out of. One of them is Florian Wirtz.
Alonso has worked very successfully with Wirtz during their time together at Bayer Leverkusen. That connection has seen Chelsea being linked with a move for the now Liverpool midfielder. But is there any substance to that rumour? Well, Fabrizio Romano said while speaking on his YouTube channel:
No, Florian Wirtz is not leaving Liverpool this summer. The relationship between Xabi Alonso and Florian Wirtz is excellent. Of course they won together. They had a fantastic time together at Bayer Leverkusen but that’s it.
So there is no negotiation, no talks. Chelsea are not looking for that kind of player. And also it’s important to mention that Florian Wirtz remains an important part of Liverpool’s squad.
Liverpool absolutely believe in Florian Wirtz. They believe that next season could be his season in red.
Wirtz to Chelsea never felt realistic
Obviously, Wirtz is someone who has worked with Alonso in the past. On paper, it is a combination that could work at Chelsea. But to be honest, it never felt a move that could realistically happen. At least this summer.
That is why I never covered the report on Read Chelsea. It is because the links had seem too far-fetched and there was never really any chance of it working out.
Let’s not forget, Liverpool spent a record fee signing him just last summer. Yes, his debut season did not meet expectations. But would the Reds give up on someone they were so sure about just a year back?
Also, would Chelsea sign Wirtz for a massive transfer fee after how subpar he was last season? If for some reason Liverpool were open to the idea, they would want to recoup as much of the transfer fee as possible. Even with Alonso’s track record of success, that was never going to happen.
Who could the club actually sign for Xabi Alonso?
To be honest, there is no reason to believe that Chelsea will absolutely go out and sign players Alonso has coached in the past. The Spaniard might not be trying to push that idea forward either.
At the end of the day, it is up to Alonso to figure out what he needs in this team. And it is hard to believe that he would have taken a look at Chelsea’s squad and decided Wirtz was the answer.
That is not a profile that Chelsea need this summer, whether you rate Wirtz highly or not. There are other areas on the pitch where reinforcements are far more necessary.