This summer I see as being a crucial and pivotal moment for Chelsea Football Club under Clearlake and Todd Boehly. It’s the moment where they can choose to be title challengers again and a strong contender in the Champions League, or they can spend another couple of seasons fighting for the top four. It’s literally that simple for me.
Address the spine, bring in quality experience in two or three areas on the pitch, sell the right players, and we are there. I have always said we are not far off this squad being ready to compete again. These young and raw players have showed good maturity in the season run in and a good mentality, these signs are encouraging. But if you truly want them to kick on and take the next step, then you have to complete the squad build in the right way.
You have an opportunity to buy THE most perfect player to come in and lead that this summer for just £25m. My message and appeal to Chelsea is DO NOT waste that. Especially do not waste it simply because you don’t want to look weak in negotiations anymore. There is every chance these tactics pay off and Chelsea get their man for a lesser fee that what AC Milan are demanding for Mike Maignan but also, if you decide to walk away because Milan say £25m or nothing and absolutely mean that, then you are wasting a no brainer opportunity. £25m for Maignan is an incredible deal, even £30m is. I wont hear any different and there are no excuses not to get this done. Enzo Maresca has communicated he wants Maignan as his number one, and you have a chance to do that for just £25m. If you don’t do that, then that’s a failure. £25m in this market to sign a world class goalkeeper and we are potentially thinking about not doing that deal? I find it ludicrous.
I absolutely agree that we need to be strong in negotiations and get a good reputation on that side, but you have to be so careful on how far you take this because you need to balance that with improving our squad with clear upgrades. Now is not the time for more raw players who do not move needles. Now is the time to UPGRADE what we have and improve and kick on. This could be the chance for these owners to create their own legacy now and their own history as Chelsea owners. If they buy right, they can honesty challenge for all the big trophies next season. I truly believe that. And that’s even coming from someone who is still yet to be convinced by the head coach either but I still think if we buy right this summer then we will be there. Back Maresca if he is the direction you are going in. I can see midway through next season if we don’t buy right, fans on his back again and inevitably another manager out the door. So why not back him with what he needs and avoid that?
But it’s literally hanging in the balance that we do this or not because we are looking like we are going to spend the summer buying potential again rather than CLEAR upgrades. And if all this is because we don’t want to look weak in negotiations, then that is those tactics failing in my opinion.
Absolutely by the way, DO NOT pay £85m for Hugo Ekitike and I even understand them not paying £75m for Jarrad Branthwaite. I get it. But there’s a fine line here and we have to find a way to get across it. Our wage structure presents a problem too of course, but that’s for another article.
I just really want to see us kick on this season and I think we can only do that if we address the spine of the team correctly.
I am all for being tough negotiators, but not so tough that it sees us missing out on signing one of the best goalkeepers available this summer and one who adds decent experience and leadership as well. Get it done.
I’ve got to be careful with these articles as well because there is still every chance that the Maignan negotiating works out well and we get him for a cheaper deal and trust me, I’ll be doing a whole article praising them if that works out. That will be incredible. I’m also keen to just wait and see what and who we buy before getting too emotionally involved of reactionary, so we have a long way to go yet and let’s try and remember this. These are just my feelings in the moment and really, a plea for them to see all of this rather than having a go at them at this point.
