Chelsea revolution plans to turn their glut of signings into household names
BY PAUL LAGAN
paul@slpmedia.co.uk
You know that teasing chant when fans spot an opposition’s expensive signing warming up on the sidelines – ‘Who the hell are you? – well, I suspect that it will be the home fans turn to chant it to a whole host of Chelsea players tonight.
The Blues face their neighbours from up the Fulham Road in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge.
Such were the number of signings in the past two transfer windows, it feels like a blur. Time will help to focus attention but for now, hands up if you know what Gabriel Slonina looks like, or Benoit Badiashile, or let’s say Wesley Fofana, Andrey Santos, Denis Zakaria, or Carney Chukwuemeka. No? How about Joao Felix, David Fofana, Malo Gusto and Noni Madueke? Surely Mykhailo Mudryk? How about Enzo Fernandez? He was all over the TV on Tuesday night.
If you got none of them then don’t worry, chances are you won’t be alone. But if the Chelsea revolution is successful, there’s a chance most will be household names by the end of next season and their posters firmly lodged on young kids’ walls.
Chelsea’s sheer volume of new signings under their new American owners has raised eyebrows in the footballing world while splashing out more than half a billion pounds in transfers fees and add-ons.
Chelsea could probably have bought Benfica for the amount they shelled out to the Portuguese club for Fernandez – £120million. Okay, that’s a slight exaggeration, but it helps to put into perspective the scale that co-owner Todd Boehly is operating at.
Boehly and the other consortia will be looking to recoup and make a profit on the £4.25billion purchase of the club.
They have a 10-year plan to make that happen. Then, they will be happy to sell.
Jorginho went to Arsenal for £12m, but Hakim Zyiech was left twiddling his thumbs in PSG’s office in Paris as his loan deal fell apart at the last minute.
This leaves head coach Graham Potter with a super-sized squad to choose from.
Cuts will have to be made to who can take part in the upcoming Champions League but, essentially, Potter will have the extraordinarily tough task of getting a tune out of the squad to propel them up the league.
Only wins, wins and a few more wins – all in a row, will give the Blues a sniff of a chance of turning their season around.
Chances are they won’t and the club will be left without Champions League next season.
This is also why Boehly forked out such vast sums on players this time round.
Next season, the Blues, with no elite Euro action to tempt players, won’t be such an enticing prospect.
It shows a degree of forward thinking by Boehly – which helps if you have deep pockets to dip into.
Chelsea Women beat Liverpool in the FA Cup last weekend. They are back in WSL action on Sunday having dropped to second in the league.
They face Spurs at Brisbane Road in a 12.30pm kick-off.
Chelsea failed in their attempt to sign Katie McCabe, with Arsenal refusing to sell to a title rival.
The north Londoners suffered the same fate when they tried to nick Alessio Russo from league leaders Manchester United in what would have been a women’s world record £500,000 transfer.
If, as expected, the women’s game continues its exponential rise, it won’t be too long before their first £1m transfer takes place.
In 1979, Trevor Francis went from Birmingham City to Nottingham Forest for close to £1.2m.
Then Forest manager Brian Clough cheekily suggested the fee was one pound shy of a million to “shield Francis from the burden of the fee”.
Chelsea manager Emma Hayes is a Clough fanatic and I’m sure she would love to oversee the first female £1m transfer to Chelsea.
Match reports from the Bridge tonight and from Kingsmeadow on Sunday will be on our website at www.londononline.co.uk