Chelsea
It would be a mistake for club owners to think that a season of astounding over- and under-performing is not their fault
As panic sets in and Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali ponder how to repair the damage they’ve caused over the past year, the biggest mistake the ailing Chelsea owners could make would be to delude themselves that a season of amazing overs – and underperformance is not their fault.
Perhaps the finger could be pointed at Thomas Tuchel for his reluctance to start a new way of working last summer. Perhaps it’s Graham Potter’s fault for not understanding his ridiculously bloated roster; or Bruno Saltor for failing to win his only game in charge; or Frank Lampard for failing to beat Real Madrid two seconds after his move as interim head coach.
On the other hand, what about the players? Boehly went into the dressing room the other day to tell them the season has been “embarrassing”. Why can’t they live up to their inflated fees? Why can’t any of the forwards score? Why don’t we just throw in another £500m this summer?
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Still, Boehly and Eghbali should keep a close eye on Thiago Silva’s analysis after Madrid ended Chelsea’s season by knocking them out of the Champions League on Tuesday. “The first step has been taken – a wrong step, but it’s been made,” the centre-back told Brazil’s TNT Sports. “It’s a tough time with a lot of indecisiveness. A change of ownership, new players are added. We have to stop and develop a strategy, otherwise we could make the same mistake next season.”
The future starts now. Boehly and Eghbali have a chance to start anew and they have to accept that this will not be an easy recovery. Temporary pain may occur. The rest of the season will feel miserable and demotivating. But there is a chance for Chelsea to continue. They can start planning when they use these weeks to find their next coach, and they can also assuage uncertainty when they hear Silva say there’s not enough room in the dressing room after paying huge fees for a Variety of players have been issued .
The priority should clearly not be on further signings. That squad needs to be scaled back somehow, not least because Romelu Lukaku and Levi Colwill are close to returning from their loans, Malo Gusto is set to join from Lyon to cover for Reece James at right-back and a deal has been agreed to see RB Leipzig sign the striker Christopher Nkunku. There are also plans to sign a goalkeeper to replace Kepa Arrizabalaga and Édouard Mendy.
Thiago Silva tells Chelsea to stop signing new players and ‘find a new strategy’ – video
Good luck for the next manager. Chelsea need to win back money and there is talk of almost every player being up for sale. Sources have spoken of panic. Chelsea’s latest accounts showed losses of £121.3million and a season without European football’s earnings will increase concerns about financial fair play.
However, the dilemma for Chelsea is how to trim their squad. The financial imbalances in European football could make it difficult to move the expensive underdogs. Internazionale want another loan for Lukaku? Will Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang try to sit out the last year of his contract?
There are many expensive mistakes to correct. Kalidou Koulibaly has been a disappointment since arriving from Napoli last summer but finding a buyer for the 31-year-old defender would not be easy. Raheem Sterling who worked hard gets high wages. Marc Cucurella is a £62million reserve. Hakim Ziyech and Christian Pulisic should find new clubs but neither winger is likely to concede a big fee.
Thiago Silva has urged Chelsea to develop a strategy to avoid another disastrous season next year. Photo: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian
The dysfunction could force Chelsea to make some reluctant sales. Mateo Kovacic’s contract expires in a year and the midfielder has been linked with Manchester City and Bayern Munich. Kai Havertz is restless. Chelsea have to be careful that N’Golo Kanté doesn’t come on a fee.
They also need to think carefully about their academy products. Chelsea scream identity but selling homegrown talent is pure win in FFP terms. Money talks and Mason Mount are likely to be increasingly likely to join Liverpool, while there will be plenty of takers for Trevoh Chalobah, Conor Gallagher and Colwill. Applicants may be fewer for Ruben Loftus-Cheek given his injury record.
Chelsea insist Colwill, on loan at Brighton, will not be sold. The defender’s contract expires in two years with an option for an extra year and there are plans to use him next season. However, Colwill may wonder why he should extend when Chelsea have bought another young left-footed centre-back, Benoît Badiashile, to play in his position.
That’s a good summary of the lack of logic that Chelsea’s next manager will face. Too many decisions seem to be made on a whim. It’s hard to see what Chelsea got out of sacking Potter and approaching Lampard. It didn’t give them a short-term boost against Madrid and although Lampard vowed Chelsea would return, why should the players listen to him when they know he’s unlikely to be around past the end of the season?
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The search for the next coach must be accelerated. Chelsea are finalizing the candidates and sources believe Julian Nagelsmann has a good chance of being offered the job after positive talks with the club’s sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley last week.
However, there is no agreement at board level. There will be worries about Nagelsmann’s youth and the manner of his departure from Bayern Munich, leaving a handful of candidates including Luis Enrique, Rúben Amorim and Mauricio Pochettino.
At some point in the near future, however, Chelsea need clarification. Players need to know who’s taking over the preseason. Boehly and Eghbali need to prove they know how to take the club forward. They need to learn from their hubris. Getting the next appointment right is paramount, but it could depend on Boehly and Eghbali making sure the best person for the job wants to work for them.
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