Chelsea's transfer business; How did we do?
Its all over
With the introduction of the shorter window to ensure no transfers took place once the season has started, combined with this year being a world cup year it was always going to be a high speed roller coaster of a summer. After finishing 5th last season the transfer market was always going to be hard to read and with the managerial circus that followed I was certain that we were in for a shocking summer. Looking back on it now I can't believe we have got to where we are. But lets go back to the beginning. I am going to work through our transfer business over the summer in terms of key signings. I could go through each outgoing however with our loan army we could be here until January.
Sarri Signs
Yes, I am going to count Sarri as a signing. With rumours of Conte's departure towards the end of last season I found myself trawling though social media and the Internet trying to understand who would be the next Chelsea manager. Quite frankly, I was petrified. In recent years when we have disposed of a manager, a clear replacement takes shape quickly. A replacement that has won countless trophies down the years or is highly respected having enjoyed great success. This was not to be the case this year. Arise Maurizio Sarri, the chain smoking homophobe who hasn't won a trophy in his entire career. Oh Chels what have you done. Having not payed much attention to Italian football over the past few years I was completely unaware of Sarri's reputation and was soon drawn in by this image that had been presented by the media. Surely this isn't the man we are to hire. However, having spent some time researching his success I was pleasantly surprised.
Sarri could well be a great appointment by the club. We are finally looking to improve the style of our play after years of 'suffering' without the ball. Yes, Sarri has not had an success in terms of trophies and that is the biggest concern but it has got to the point where we must take the chance. Early signs are that Sarriball is going to take a good amount of time to perfect and one can only hope that our results aren't so bad that he never gets time to fully implement it. He has shown willingness to keep youth in the squad with Callum Hudson-Odoi, Loftus-Cheek and Ampadu seemingly part of his plans. He is, simply put, what we have been asking for. Hopefully things work out.
Rating; 7/10
Gorgeous Jorginho
As if the appointment of Sarri wasn't exciting enough, he came with his very own shinny wizard. That's right, if Cesc has a magic hat then this boy lent it to him. Jorginho seems like an essential signing for Sarri to be a success. Such is the complex nature of Sarri's system that we needed to bring his engine with him from Napoli. Jorginho knows exactly what is expected of himself and everyone else in the system. Watching pre season closely you can see him orchestrating all around him, coaching from the centre of the pitch. Yes it is very impressive how he can effortlessly move the ball around the park, bringing everyone into the game and ensuring we keep a respectable tempo. But this isn't why he will be one of our most important players this year. If Sarri is going to get everyone singing off the same hymn sheet then Jorginho is going to have to be at the top of his game and thankfully he seems more than up to the job.
Rating 8/10
A keeper called Kepa
Kepa the keeper is not only the most fantastically named footballer in the world but also a great signing for the Chelsea. With Courtois pushing himself through the Madrid shaped door and out of club, getting his replacement right would be vital. As demonstrated by Man City over the last few seasons, having a keeper who can play with his feet is vital to playing a possession based system. Kepa seems more than ready to do this. Kepa came close to joining Madrid in January for a significantly smaller fee than the one that we payed, with only Zidane standing in the way siting concerns with disrupting his side midway through the season as the reason the deal fell through. From what I have seen, Kepa is a very good keeper. Not world class, but a very good keeper. However at the age of 23 that is not a concern at all. Kepa has an impressive highlight reel of top saves which display his athletic abilities. This combined with his calming nature on the ball and ability to pick a pass mean that he is everything Sarri would have wanted from his new Kepa and more. I wouldn't be surprised to see a De Gea style first few seasons surrounded by doubt and a few mistakes. But if we stick by him I can see him going on to great things in his career. Hopefully those great things aren't Real Madrid.
Rating 8/10
Madrid's Mateo
Like a phoenix from the ashes of Courtois transfer to Madrid emerges the answer to Maurizio Sarri's dreams. Mateo Kovacic is probably not a name that Chelsea fans imagined would be featured in our 25 man squad. But yet, thanks to some Harry Redknapp style wheeler dealing we have managed to complete possibly the most formidable midfield in the league. Kovacic found himself a frequent feature on Madrid's bench due to the partnership of Modric and Kroos, but don't let that cloud your opinion of a player who is so much more. Kovacic is a highly impressive player, great a driving forward with the ball from midfield and great at linking up with those around him. Exactly what Chelsea need. In games where teams are sat in with all men behind the ball, Chelsea teams have a habit of playing in front of them and taking long shots. In Kovacic we have a player who will be able to ram through and force the issue, causing havoc that players such as Willian, Hazard and Morata will thrive in taking advantage of. Kovacic has admitted he is not match fit, so it could be a few weeks until we really see him get going, but that will probably be the case with most of our world cup stars.
The only issue that arises from this transfer is how long he will play at the bridge. Indications are that there is not option to buy at the end of the season long loan, as Madrid were reluctant to even allow the loan to happen. But that is no reason to think this transfer is a bust. Why? Well firstly, if Kovacic settles in and enjoys his time at the bridge, having been pushed to the periphery at Madrid, there is nothing to say he doesn't try to push to make the move permanent next year. However, even if that doesn't happen and he does indeed move back to Madrid, we have a plethora of young talent within our ranks that could step up. Loftus Cheek has this season to show what he can do and if he does show how great he can be then he would slot perfectly in to the Kovacic shaped hole. Furthermore, Mason Mount is on loan at Derby this year with many hoping that this is the final step before he finds his place in our squad. But the main reason people should see this as a great transfer is for one simple reason; we need him THIS season. No matter how long Kovacic stays at Chelsea, the one thing is certain is that he is a player that will help Sarri implement his style and achieve good results. If Kovacic only has one season with Chelsea but helps us get back into the top 4 and maybe win a trophy, then no one should complain.
Rating 9/10
Summer Window 2018
Thanks to a great last few days our transfer window should be seen as a success. Our midfield is now arguably the strongest in the league, both in first team quality and depth, and we have ourselves one of the most exciting young keepers in the world. We have held on to key players such as Hazard, Kante and Dave meaning we are surely in a stronger position than we were this time last year. Was this window perfect? Absolutely not. Left back is still a major concern for me, I think Alonso and Emerson will both be found out in a back 4. Right wing can also be an issue. Willian and Pedro both blow hot and cold which can be detrimental but this year we have Hudson Odoi who can hopefully force his way into the team. But on the whole the club has given a sense of hope back to the fans. We have been very lucky over the past 15 years with the consistency in which we have won silverware. But the last 3/4 years, whilst filled with success, have required periods of suffering. Some performances, particularly last year, completely demoralised me. Not only were we not winning games but I was watching highly talented attacking players being confined to closing down opposition holding midfielders on the edge of their own box. Only at Conte's Chelsea would Hazard be used as a target man. But now we move into a new era, hopefully filled with as many trophies as the last, but an era where we can be proud of the style of football our team are playing.
Overall rating 7/10
Comments
Post a Comment