“I have to say my club did a fantastic job, and not just because of what we bought, but because we did it in almost record time. The transfer market closes August 31 and we close our market on July 19. We finished the market today.” – Jose Mourinho, July 2014.
One year on and with the League Cup and Premier League trophies under his belt, it’s fair to say that Mourinho and Chelsea FC got their transfer policy right.
This summer, however, there has been a distinct lack of transfer action. There are always steady streams of cross-media outlets proclaiming to have the latest insider scoops and quoted ‘club sources’, but even the more trusted, credible news providers have thus far been unable to tell fans exactly what’s going on inside Stamford Bridge.
In 2014, the reason for Chelsea’s fast start was due to the whole squad being together from day one of pre-season (with the exception of Remy) and therefore all the new players were able to arrive and begin the process of integration whilst at the same time being present for the team bonding experience that a pre-season tour has to offer. This bore fruit as Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas hit the ground running and Chelsea made a title winning charge from the off.
Are Chelsea behind their rivals after subdued transfer activity?
In May 2015, Mourinho told reporters, “The market is difficult. I can imagine that, this summer, it will be like Wall Street collapsing. I can imagine that some clubs are coming into the market with such determination that they will disrupt the market and take it in unexpected directions. But we are in a good situation. We have this stability in our squad. We don’t need dramatic changes. We have to be loyal to our players because we believe in them. What other clubs are going to do is not going to affect our direction. If others buy 10 players each, that will not push us to do things we don’t want to do.”
Chelsea’s title rivals – almost as predicted by Mourinho – have been very active in their squad preparation. Louis Van Gaal’s Manchester United have signed Memphis Depay, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Morgan Schneiderlin and Matteo Darmian; all having arrived at the club in advance of pre-season.
Manchester City have splashed out by securing deals for England internationals Fabian Delph and Raheem Sterling to address their problem of a lack of home grown qualified players. Liverpool after protracted wrangling’s with Manchester City over Sterling, have signed James Milner, Nathaniel Clyne and Danny Ings, whilst they are currently in negotiations with Aston Villa to make Christian Benteke their latest addition.
Chelsea have been strongly linked with Everton defender John Stones and Barcelona’s flying winger Pedro in recent days, with big bids supposedly having been made. With only three weeks until the start of the new Premier League season, this uncertainty is likely to have irked Mourinho. Having seen Chelsea be so proactive last season in the transfer market, it is difficult to believe that in a summer without a European Championship or World Cup that Chelsea have struggled to talk to clubs or players to agree potential transfers. The need for pruning and trimming of the squad that Mourinho talked about in May has not yet been completed.
The very protracted sale of club legend Petr Cech and the recruitment Asmir Begovic from Stoke City is now complete and the arrival of teenage Brazilians’ Nathan and Kenedy is almost finalised but the talented pair are unlikely to be troubling the first team any time soon.
The loss of Didier Drogba has meant that Chelsea look a little light in the striking department, even with the arrival of Radamel Falcao on loan from Monaco. There is some scope to believe that after a year in England with Manchester United, he should be more prepared mentally and physically for the demands of playing in the Premier League. Even with that optimistic view, and also the argument to be made for Loic Remy to be entrusted with more regular game time, it’s difficult to believe that Falcao is the answer for Chelsea in anything other than the short term.
With the squad currently on the tour of the United States, it’s a good chance for some on the younger academy players to impress Mourinho and his staff. The only players missing are those involved in the Copa America. The real pre-season will kick off when those given extra rest join the group for Chelsea’s match against the NY Red Bulls.
Mohammed Salah was left behind as the rest of the squad left the UK for the US, and there are still strong reports linking Filipe Luis with a return to former club Atletico Madrid. Juan Cuadrado appears to have struggled to acclimatise to England and the Premier League, but in the most recent squad list has been moved from number 23 to the vacant number 11 shirt formerly belonging to Didier Drogba, an indication that he may stay for the forthcoming season. Marco van Ginkel has joined Stoke City on loan for a season as he continues to find his form following the ACL knee injury he sustained shortly after his 2013 summer arrival at The Blues.
The arrival of Pedro from Barcelona would take up a wide berth on the right, potentially limiting the opportunities for Cuadrado. The prospect of world class players competing for places amongst Chelsea’s front four is a tasty treat for Chelsea fans.
The common consensus is that for a club to keep winning and improving there needs to be two or three quality players arriving each summer. This is to continually improve and evolve the squad, but also to provide competition and freshness to stave off compliancy amongst the group.
Mourinho will only be too aware that this must happen quickly at Chelsea in order for them not to be left behind. The worry is of old wounds being re-opened at board level, especially after Roman Abramovich overruling Mourinho and allowing Cech to join a title rival, going against Mourinho’s expressed wishes.
Are the Cech move and the slow transfer activity the first signs of slight tensions and a power struggle? Given Mourinho’s contract extension being signed in July 2015 we should expect not, but the success of Chelsea’s transfer business this summer could tell us a lot more than meets the eye.
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