Chelsea pre-season preview: Opening games, transfer plans and more

Chelsea: Transfer plans

Chelsea hasn’t had many difficulties in winning trophies over the years. They have often done so by way of pure chaos.

The 2012 Champions League, the 2016/17 Premier League title, the 2018 FA Cup, the 2019 Europa League, and the Champions League again in 2021: all of those titles the Blues won while going through phases of uncertainty. Surprisingly, the London club has suffered when asked to build upon their successes by way of order.

Chelsea FC

Failings in the transfer market post their big wins go a long way towards explaining that. Chelsea’s recent successes have been followed by mediocre signings: Papi Djilobodji, Kenedy, Baba Rahman in 2015, Danny Drinkwater, Alvaro Morata, Tiemoue Bakayoko, and Davide Zappacosta in 2017.

It is imperative that the Blues especially keep their focus in the transfer market this summer and sign only the players they genuinely need. To that end, Achraf Hakimi and Erling Haaland are two of the players linked with the club. The pair’s quality is a sign that things have changed at Stamford Bridge.

Presently, however, neither the signing of Hakimi nor Haaland is especially close. In fact, reports claim that Chelsea is set to lose out on both – Hakimi is set to join Paris Saint Germain while Haaland is likely to stay at Borussia Dortmund. There will be more opportunities later in the summer, particularly after the end of Euro 2020. At present, though, Chelsea’s prospects in the market look bleak.

Not that they are in genuine need of upgrades all over the pitch. Chelsea does need a reliable goalscorer and can do with backup in a few positions. However, the Blues’ 2020 summer splurge more than covered them for years to come.

Furthermore, there is plenty of academy talent to fall back on; the likes of Conor Gallagher and Tino Liveramento are among those on the periphery of the first team.