The Weekly Take, Issue 370: Mr. Clutch Does It Again

The final of the Club World Cup had been expected to be one-sided. With the exception of an unexpected group stage loss against Botafogo, Paris Saint-Germain had been taking apart every team that stood in their path. It looked almost certain that PSG, fresh off a historic first-ever Champions League victory, could not be stopped on their imperious charge to the Club World Cup title.

PSG would be playing against Chelsea in the final. The Blues didn’t even top their group after having lost to Flamengo and prior to the final, the only opponent that they faced who had been expected to give the London club any trouble was Benfica, who took Chelsea to extra time before eventually succumbing. Even against these lesser opponents, Chelsea were unimpressive but nonetheless managed to get over the line.

With all this in mind, almost no one gave the London club any chance whatsoever to even slightly trouble the reigning European champions. As things turned out, however, it was indeed a one-sided result - but in a way opposite of what most were expecting. Chelsea beat PSG 3-0 to clinch the title in the first iteration of the revamped Club World Cup.

Chelsea scored all three goals in the first half. Cole Palmer opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, placing his shot from the edge of the penalty area into the bottom corner of the net after having been set up by Malo Gusto. Eight minutes later, Palmer made it 2-0 with a goal that appeared to be remarkably similar to his first - only this time around, he was assisted by Levi Colwill.

Two minutes before the half-time break, Chelsea scored their third with Palmer setting up Brazilian striker João Pedro, Chelsea’s new signing from Brighton & Hove Albion. Capping off PSG’s crushing loss was a red card issued to midfielder João Neves with just five minutes of regulation time remaining following a VAR check.

In any case, the main point following the match was obvious: Cole Palmer has done it again. With two goals and an assist, Palmer has now racked up six goal contributions over his last three finals for both club and country. The Manchester-born winger isn’t just unfazed by the pressure of the big occasion - he thrives under it.

Slightly less than two months ago, Palmer had two assists in another outstanding display in the UEFA Conference League final against Real Betis; he was at the heart of just about everything meaningful that Chelsea did and was then, as he was in the Club World Cup final, named man of the match.

Ever since arriving at Stamford Bridge two years ago after signing from Manchester City, Palmer has time and again put Chelsea on his back and dragged what has often been a very mediocre team to results far beyond what one would ordinarily expect of them. Now, it finally seems as though after years of underwhelming rosters, Chelsea have finally put together a reasonably competitive roster that might just be enough to give Palmer the support he needs.

Of course, Chelsea aren’t going to be the favourites to win the Premier League - those would, as usual, be City and reigning champions Liverpool - but based on what we saw in the final, for the first time since the 2018-19 season, Chelsea will have at least a puncher’s chance of winning the league for the first time since the 2016-17 season.

Adding another layer to this is the World Cup which will take place at the conclusion of the upcoming season. There’s a case to be made that Palmer is already England’s best player right now. At just the age of 23 (24 by the time the World Cup begins), Palmer might already be the player around whom England’s first World Cup-winning team in 60 years could be built. It’s often the case that the Three Lions have wilted under the highest pressure - but Palmer has done the opposite time and again.

Chelsea will enter the 2025-26 season having fired the first salvo - they’ve now shown what they’re truly capable of. And, with Cole Palmer in this form, still several years from his apex, and now surrounded by the team he always should’ve been, for the first time in ages Chelsea are a bona fide force again.

The Weekly Take, Issue 367: The Early Signs Aren't Promising

Chelsea entered the Club World Cup eager to follow up on a strong finish to the season which saw the London club clinch qualification for next season’s Champions League before beating Real Betis in the final of the Conference League. However, their match against Flamengo during the group stage’s second matchday showed that despite being the clear favourites to advance from Group D, it was never going to be “as simple as that”.

Chelsea succumbed to a 3-1 loss against Flamengo at Lincoln Financial Field. Although Pedro Neto opened the scoring for the Blues in the 13th minute, that would end up being as good as things would get for Chelsea. From that point forth, Flamengo took control of the match and were rather unlucky not to enter the half-time interval on level terms.

This would change after the break. Just seven minutes after replacing midfielder Giorgian De Arrascaeta, Bruno Henrique scored Flamengo’s equalizer to start what would be a frenetic next six minutes. Three minutes later, Henrique would set up Flamengo’s second goal scored by centre-back Danilo. To make matters worse for Chelsea, just three minutes after Flamengo’s second goal, Chelsea striker Nicolas Jackson received a red card after a severe foul on Flamengo full-back Ayrton Lucas. The Senegalese striker had barely spent any time on the field at the time as he had replaced Liam Delap slightly over four minutes before the incident.

In the 85th minute, Flamengo closed the door on Chelsea for good. Substitute Wallace Yan scored the Brazilian club’s winning goal to ensure a spot in the round of 16 and leave Chelsea needing to avoid defeat against Tunisian side Espérance Tunis to make it to the last 16. While theoretically that shouldn’t be too difficult, the fact that things have played out in this way spotlight several key issues for Chelsea.

In both matches so far, new signing Delap hasn’t looked impressive at all. Though it’s of course way too early to come to a conclusion, Chelsea’s new acquisition from Ipswich Town certainly has not appeared to live up to the £30 million price tag that he was signed for. What makes matters worse is the fact that Delap wears perhaps the most “cursed” jersey in world football - the Chelsea 9.

Over the past two decades or so, striker after striker (and even some non-strikers) have put on the Chelsea 9; every single one has ended up failing to fulfill the expectations. Considering the fact that this is a monumental step up for Delap - though he has played for Manchester City before, he hardly ever received any playing time while there - it’s certainly possible that he’ll end up adding his name to the infamous list.

It’s also notable that Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca chose to switch things up tactically, going with a 4-3-3 formation instead of the usual 4-2-3-1 and starting superstar attacking midfielder Cole Palmer at right wing instead of his usual preferred spot. This change didn’t help at all - Chelsea’s attacking unit, including Palmer, looked disjointed and out of sync throughout the whole match with the exception of Portuguese winger Neto. It’s clear that this was an example of “trying to fix something that didn’t need to be fixed”. Maresca needs to switch back to the usual 4-2-3-1 if Chelsea are to make a serious run at the Club World Cup title.

Of course, many will make the point about how Chelsea, like other European clubs, aren’t as acclimatized to the conditions as their South American counterparts as well as the fact that they’ve accumulated more fatigue as they are playing after a long season rather than in the mid-season like the South American clubs. While true, the gap between Chelsea and Flamengo should have been large enough that neither should have been a serious factor in what ought to have been a routine victory for Chelsea. In addition, with regard to acclimatization, by this point they ought to have become accustomed to the conditions - after all, this match was from the second matchday.

For what it’s worth, Chelsea, as mentioned, are very likely to advance to the last 16 as their final group stage opponent isn’t a particularly difficult one. However, based on what Chelsea showed against Flamengo, in this form even what should be an easy win isn’t as guaranteed as it perhaps should be.

The Weekly Take, Issue 356: Wait, Haven't We Seen This Before?

Chelsea moved a step closer to clinching a spot in next season’s Champions League by beating Tottenham 1-0 in a London derby which went according to the script - after all, the vast majority of people expected this to be won by the Blues, given Tottenham’s dismal season that’s seen them end up all the way down in 14th place in the Premier League.

The only goal of this match at Stamford Bridge came just after half-time. Cole Palmer sent in a perfect cross which Enzo Fernández finished off with a close-range header. Both teams would subsequently have a goal waved off via VAR; Moisés Caicedo wasn’t quite able to put Chelsea two goals ahead after his goal fell afoul of a VAR check. Later on, Pape Matar Sarr’s would-be equalizer experienced the same fate.

When things wrapped up, there was clearly one player who, as he has done on so many occasions this season, stood head and shoulders above the rest - and who else could it have been but Chelsea ace Cole Palmer? The Manchester-born midfielder has been almost single-handedly carrying Chelsea over the course of this season and last; without him, Chelsea wouldn’t have even come close to qualifying for the Europa Conference League. This time around, they’re very much in contention for a Champions  League berth by finishing in the top four.

Out of everyone who’s part of the six clubs who could realistically finish in any of the lower two Champions League qualification spots, Palmer is the best player who doesn’t play for Manchester City by a considerable distance. He has transformed Chelsea ever since breaking out as a bona fide superstar last season, turning them from a mere punchline to a team which actually appears to have a semblance of legitimacy about it. In 2022-23, the season before Palmer was brought to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea finished just 12th in the league - their worst league finish since the 1993-94 campaign when they ended up all the way down in 14th. Their turnaround since then has almost been completely due to Palmer.

As of right now, there’s a case to be made that Palmer is already one of the top 10 players in the world at just 22 years old. Likely still several years away from his absolute peak, Palmer is primed to become a perennial Ballon d’Or contender once he gets there.

This, however, does bring up a question - and it’s one which will be very familiar to many Chelsea fans: just how will the club build around Palmer? Years ago when Chelsea had Eden Hazard on the roster, year after year Chelsea spent money on the wrong guys to surround him with - legendary defensive midfielder N'Golo Kanté being one of the rare exceptions. Having understandably run out of patience by then, it was little surprise that Hazard eventually left Chelsea for Real Madrid in the 2019 off-season after a seven-year stint at Chelsea. While there’s no guarantee that this will be what will eventually happen to Palmer, the signs so far aren’t exactly promising.

With the possible exception of the loan acquisition of Jadon Sancho from Manchester United, none of the players which Chelsea have brought in this season have moved the needle in any way. This is especially galling when one considers the fact that Chelsea have spent over £200 million on player transfers this season. To make matters worse, they even parted with Ian Maatsen, Romelu Lukaku, and Conor Gallagher - all players who would’ve certainly contributed to their top-four push.

Ever since Todd Boehly bought Chelsea in May 2022, it’s been more of the same when compared to the Roman Abramovich years - if not even worse. Again and again, Boehly has spent recklessly on players who don’t fit the direction in which Chelsea ought to be heading; as of right now, Chelsea are completely failing at building a team around Palmer. If this keeps up, it could be very possible that Palmer leaves at some point within the next five years.

Players at Cole Palmer’s level are the rarest commodity in football and the centerpiece around which a truly elite team can be built. However, it appears that history is starting to repeat itself at Chelsea - and based on the last few years, it’s more likely than not that they will double down on their current approach.

The Weekly Take, Issue 339: The Man Behind a Stunning Turnaround

The recent London derby which saw Tottenham host Chelsea featured a pair of clubs entering the match in sharply contrasting situations. Tottenham had been struggling all season long and another loss would not only leave Spurs in the bottom half of the league; it would also push head coach Ange Postecoglou a step closer to his potential firing.

Chelsea, on the other hand, have overcome a slow start under Postecoglou’s opposite number Enzo Maresca and slowly but surely climbed up the league table into second place. A victory against their crosstown rivals would have seen the Blues cut the deficit to league leaders Liverpool to just four points and keep their admittedly slim league title hopes alive.

Chelsea emerged from the derby on top, squeaking out a 4-3 win after having come back from two goals behind. Dominic Solanke and Dejan Kulusevski scored Tottenham’s first two goals within a six-minute span, putting the North Londoners 2-0 ahead after just 11 minutes. However, shortly after that, Jadon Sancho pulled one back for Chelsea.

Just before half-time, Pape Matar Sarr’s header struck the crossbar; as such, Tottenham squandered an opportunity to restore their two-goal lead. Chelsea would soon make them rue that miss after the break when Cole Palmer scored a penalty after Yves Bissouma needlessly fouled Moisés Caicedo in the box. Enzo Fernández would later put Chelsea in front before Palmer sealed the win in spectacular style, scoring with a Panenka after having been brought down in the penalty area by Sarr. Son Heung-min did pull a goal back for Spurs in stoppage time, but it was too late by then.

Chelsea have seen quite the turnaround this season following the firing of Mauricio Pochettino and his subsequent replacement by Maresca during the off-season. At first, many did have their doubts because Maresca’s only notable achievement as a coach to that point had been taking Leicester City to promotion from the Championship—something which most had expected the Foxes to have achieved with or without Maresca. Additionally, Chelsea had seen a clear improvement in the second half of last season, making Pochettino’s firing a confusing one to many Chelsea fans and outside observers alike.

However, after a shaky start, Maresca has clearly proven that he has what it takes to go toe-to-toe with the best that the Premier League has to offer. Perhaps his most notable accomplishment thus far has been reviving the career of Jadon Sancho. Once touted as England’s next phenom as a youngster at Borussia Dortmund, Sancho’s career went on to stall upon his move to Manchester United. Now, though, Sancho looks like a player reborn under Maresca. He’s finally showing signs of living up to the potential he showed way back then; a full-time signing is likely while a return to England’s national team - maybe even as a regular - isn’t even out of the question anymore.

Ever since Maresca has taken over, Palmer has ascended to a new level. There’s a strong case to be made that the Manchester-born midfielder is now among the top 10 players on the planet. As great a player Palmer already was, Maresca has improved upon the setup that Pochettino had in place to better maximize Palmer’s strengths, giving him all the freedom he needs to almost single-handedly run the show if need be - such as against Spurs when Palmer turned in yet another dominant performance; he’s likely the favorite to win the Premier League Player of the Season award as of right now.

Finally, Maresca’s tactical setups have been on point throughout the season. Against Spurs, this was clearly shown via substitutions such as midfielder Romeo Lavia for full-back Malo Gusto as well as adjustments like moving Fernández to defensive midfielder as well as a “pocket strat” that countered Spurs perfectly - shifting Marc Cucurella to central midfield. These tweaks were the foundation of Chelsea’s second-half comeback and their like have been the hallmarks of Maresca’s success this season.

Though the season isn’t even half over yet, the difference between the Chelsea of this season and the Chelsea of the past two has been like night and day. The West Londoners are no longer the laughing stock of the capital - thanks to Maresca, they’ve re-established themselves as a true force and maybe, just maybe, the only club that could unseat Liverpool from the top of the Premier League.

The Weekly Take, Issue 323: Shuffled the Deck and Drew a Brick (Again)

The highlight of the opening Premier League matchday of the 2024-25 season was undoubtedly Chelsea’s home match against reigning league champions Manchester City. Having spent in excess of £160 million across eight new signings while also adding Tosin Adarabioyo on a free transfer, Chelsea entered this season seemingly reloaded and ready to prove that they weren’t just carried by Cole Palmer to sixth place in the league last season.

Instead, the clear gap between the two teams was more than evident. City were never really threatened as they eased to a 2-0 win over the Blues. Erling Haaland opened the scoring in the first half before Mateo Kovačić added a late goal against the club at which he’d spent four seasons.

For Chelsea, this was nothing short of a reality check. Heading into their opening fixture, many Chelsea fans had high hopes for the coming season due to their strong finish to the prior campaign that saw them climb into a Europa League spot, the hiring of Enzo Maresca who left Leicester City after coaching them for one season in which he helmed the Foxes to promotion into the Premier League, and their many new signings. However, as has so often been the case at Stamford Bridge since winning the league in 2014-15 (their league title two years later notwithstanding), it was once again a case of “back to the drawing board” for the London club.

Aside from Roméo Lavia and Cole Palmer, Chelsea brought absolutely nothing to the table against the Citizens. They were outplayed right from opening kick-off and never stood a chance. Chelsea’s back four in particular have to be questioned, in particular full-backs Malo Gusto and Marc Cucurella who were, for the majority of the match, easily outplayed by City wingers Jérémy Doku and Savinho—and on top of that, Doku and Savinho weren’t even close to City’s best players this time around.

For this same reason, Maresca’s selection of the starting 11 has to be questioned. While it’s understandable that the Italian might have prioritized continuity by benching all of Chelsea’s new signings, the real question ought to have been “is continuity even a good thing in this case?” That’s because Chelsea’s main issue last season was their over-dependence on Palmer (more on that later). Given the current starting 11’s struggles, perhaps it would’ve been a good idea to throw one or more of the newcomers into the fire and see if that would’ve changed anything.

Maresca also started Enzo Fernández at the attacking midfield slot which, while a position he can play to some extent, is far from his ideal. There’s a strong case to be made that Enzo ought to have started at his usual central midfield slot, moved Palmer to attacking midfielder, and started new signing Pedro Neto out wide, benching Ecuadorian midfielder Moisés Caicedo in the process.

On a related note, the off-season incident in which Enzo uttered racist epithets while celebrating Argentina’s Copa América victory has clearly impacted the team as a whole. It not only understandably drove a wedge between Enzo and his black teammates; it also dampened the morale of the team in general. The friction within the team was evident against City - and what really didn’t help was Maresca’s decision to delegate the captaincy to Enzo in the absence of regular captain Reece James and vice-captain Ben Chilwell.

Even more alarmingly for Chelsea: if this keeps up for too long, how many more years will Palmer remain one of theirs for? There’s every chance that if this ineptitude goes on for too long - and there’s no reason to assume it’ll stop any time soon - the Mancunian who even at age 22 is already Chelsea’s best player will seek a move out of west London to a club where his career can truly blossom.

Of course, this is just the first match - and one against the reigning league champions who are expected to defend their league title without too much difficulty at that. However, even with that in mind, it can’t be denied that the signs at Stamford Bridge are clearly concerning. Chelsea clearly haven’t fixed enough of the issues that have plagued them in recent years. A third consecutive season outside the Champions League spots - and plausibly worse - is likely.

The Weekly Take, Issue 218: A Career-Derailing Move?

After seven years at Manchester City, Raheem Sterling has agreed personal terms regarding a move to Chelsea. The London club will sign Sterling from the Citizens after paying a transfer fee of £45 million. Sterling will become the Blues' first major signing since the club's takeover by Todd Boehly in May following the outcome of British government sanctions which ultimately removed Roman Abramovich from his former position as the club's owner.

Sterling's time at the Etihad Stadium was full of success. During his stint at City, Sterling was a fixture in the starting 11 throughout as he played a key role in City's four Premier League titles as well as their run to the Champions League final in 2021. However, it's entirely conceivable that this run of success could come to a screeching halt upon his arrival at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea's run of failure as far as their signings of attacking players are concerned is almost certainly unprecedented. Players such as Álvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuaín, Christian Pulisic, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Romelu Lukaku have been signed to much fanfare and often for enormous transfer fees at various points over the past half-decade. Every single one has not even come close to living up to the hype.

At this point, this is to be expected of Chelsea. Expensive dud after expensive dud in the transfer market. There are no signs whatsoever to indicate that anything will change with regard to Sterling. To make matters worse, Sterling might be one of those players who peaked young and has already started declining.

While still a relatively effective winger as of last season, Sterling has not even been close to his peak in recent years. Over the three-season stretch from 2017-18 to 2019-20, the Kingston-born player scored 55 league goals while emerging as arguably the second-best English player during that span. At the end of the 2019-20 season, Sterling was still just 25; many assumed that his absolute peak was yet to come.

However, what many overlooked was that much of Sterling's success at the time was predicated on his speed and athleticism. These, of course, are traits which will rapidly dwindle with age. Considering the frequency that a younger Sterling would "step on the accelerator", there was always the possibility that he'd begin to wear down more rapidly than would most other players. While he has not suffered any major injuries over the past two seasons, he has nonetheless shown clear signs of decline.

With this in mind, Chelsea's decision to lock Sterling up for the next five years is likely to have been a poor one. After just over half of his contract's duration, he will be 30. A player like Sterling will likely be a shell of himself by that age. By the time Chelsea are ready to ship him out, they will only be able to fetch a small fraction of the transfer fee they paid for a player so clearly on a steep downswing.

Returning to my point about Chelsea themselves: when was the last time Chelsea made a splashy signing of a striker, winger, or number 10 and had it work out? One would have to go all the way back to the summer of 2014 to find examples. Back then, Chelsea signed Diego Costa and Cesc Fàbregas. Since then, Chelsea have swung and missed time and time again. Given Chelsea's track record, there is absolutely no conceivable reason why they can be trusted with any big-money attacking signing, let alone one like Sterling who might "fall off the cliff" sooner than many other wingers.

Now, I do not think Sterling is a scrub by any means. Although I do think he has already peaked, I also believe that he has another two to three seasons as an above-average starter left in him before he really starts falling off. Certainly, he isn't washed up just yet. But when he eventually does fall off, it could really be ugly.

The reality is that all signs point to this being yet another major transfer error on Chelsea's part. It seems as though the change in ownership has not changed anything for Chelsea, at least as far as this area is concerned.

The Weekly Take, Issue 199: The Beginning of the End

First and foremost, to any Ukrainians who might be reading this right now, I wish only the best for you. I can barely imagine what you must be going through - to be at constant risk of losing your home, your family, your life simply because of one man's insatiable bloodlust and greed.

Now then, on to the post itself.

Earlier this week, the entire world was left reeling by Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to invade Ukraine. In response to this act of senseless violence, sanctions against Russia swiftly took effect from all corners of the world in virtually every sphere. This was true of football as well. The UEFA Champions League final was relocated from Saint Petersburg to Paris, while Manchester United and Schalke cut ties with Aeroflot and Gazprom respectively; both are companies with direct links to the Russian government.

Of course, this means that one club which deserves a closer examination is Chelsea, as they are owned by Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire who has close ties with Putin. Regardless of what Abramovich chooses to do next, it seems inevitable that Russia's invasion of Ukraine has brought about the beginning of the end of the London club's time at the top table of European club football.

If Abramovich chooses to sell Chelsea as a result of the ever-increasing scrutiny upon him, Chelsea are likely to fall into disarray. Despite being endowed with far more wealth than the likes of Premier League rivals Liverpool, Manchester United, and Arsenal, the Blues are only on par with the latter two and are firmly behind Liverpool. Without the enormous amounts of money which Abramovich provides, Chelsea will almost certainly spiral into oblivion and fall well behind their rivals with almost no hope of a return to the top level.

If Abramovich does not sell Chelsea, the money will dry up anyway. As has been mentioned, sponsors will be far more difficult to come by in the future owing to Abramovich's links to Putin. The longer Abramovich remains as Chelsea's owner, the more toxic the club's brand will become, making it even less likely for sponsors to flock to the club.

In either case, regardless of what Abramovich chooses to do with Chelsea, there will almost certainly be major negative repercussions regarding the club's finances and subsequently quality of play; this decline could very well be a terminal one.

The psychological impact on Chelsea's players must also be mentioned. Due to the club's indirect links to Putin, Chelsea can expect a hostile reception in almost every away match for the next several years. This might not necessarily be a problem if Chelsea's star player were someone who relishes playing the role of the villain. Think of the likes of Sergio Ramos, Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimović, Luis Suárez - there are many players who fit that description. However, Chelsea's ace is N'Golo Kanté. Kanté is someone who is the exact antithesis of the players described; though he is arguably the greatest defensive midfielder ever, Kanté does not seem to be the type who would be comfortable with the villain tag which would be inevitably handed to him.

Furthemore, many players might now be reluctant or even unwilling to join Chelsea during transfer windows. They might fear having their reputations sullied and thus becoming less marketable by joining a club with indirect ties to the Putin regime. Some players who might happen to be friends with one or more Ukrainian players could even outright refuse to even consider joining Chelsea lest they cause irreparable damage to their friendships with those players. Put it all together and one can see that the future looks very bleak indeed at Stamford Bridge.

In a sense, karma has come back to Chelsea. In a true instance of poetic justice, the club whose greatest period of success came on the back of ill-gotten gains now might meet its end as a top team because of a much more powerful person's quest for further ill-gotten gains.

Certainly, the football-related aspects are not even close to the most important facets of the invasion; after all, Russia's invasion of Ukraine has almost certainly kickstarted a second Cold War which may last for decades just as the first did. That being said, when this invasion is considered through a footballing lens, Chelsea are undoubtedly the club likely to lose the most as a result.

The Weekly Take, Issue 193: Back to Haunt Them Again

Manchester City's almost-complete dominance of the Premier League continued when they beat Chelsea 1-0 during the most recent league matchday. This time, it was a player once rejected by Chelsea who came back to strike another blow against his former club.

Kevin De Bruyne scored the only goal of the match to clinch the victory for the Citizens. City's victory extended their lead at the summit of the Premier League to 11 points. On the other hand, the Blues' loss saw them surrender second place in the league to Liverpool, who beat Brentford 3-0.

Even to this day, it remains almost inconceivable how Chelsea managed to let a generational talent like De Bruyne slip through their fingers. The Belgian's first season as a Chelsea player in 2012-13 was spent on loan at Werder Bremen. While in northern Germany, De Bruyne clearly established himself as a star of the future. The Belgian was named the Bundesliga's Young Player of the Year after almost single-handedly saving the club from relegation at the age of just 21.

Inexplicably, Chelsea took absolutely no notice of this and almost never fielded him after his return to Stamford Bridge. De Bruyne would feature in just three league matches during the first half of the 2013-14 season before being signed by VfL Wolfsburg for €22 million in January 2014. It would be at Wolfsburg where De Bruyne would emerge as a bona fide superstar. He was selected as the Bundesliga's Player of the Year in 2014-15 after leading Wolfsburg to second place in the league - their best finish since their astonishing league triumph in 2008-09. De Bruyne was also the driving force behind Wolfsburg's first-ever DFB-Pokal title in that same season.

Not long after, City came for De Bruyne's services and signed him for €75 million. The rest, as they say, is history. Almost seven years later, De Bruyne has now become a true City legend - easily one of the Manchester club's five best players ever with an argument for #1. He is rightly recognized as one of the best playmakers in the world not only today, but also of all time. To top it all off, De Bruyne has even arguably surpassed former Chelsea teammate Eden Hazard as the greatest Belgian player ever.

Chelsea's failure to retain De Bruyne is absolutely inexcusable. After being presented with the evidence of what he'd done in his one season on loan at Werder, it should have been obvious that De Bruyne was "that guy". For some reason, however, Chelsea chose to ignore the proof and left him behind Oscar, Willian, and André Schürrle in the pecking order. None of those players ever ended up being even close to De Bruyne's level. Undoubtedly, Chelsea's decision to give up on De Bruyne in 2014 has to go down as one of the all-time transfer fails.

Astonishingly, just a few months after De Bruyne's departure, Chelsea would repeat the same error with his compatriot. Over the preceding two seasons, Romelu Lukaku had established himself as a legitimate goalscoring threat in the Premier League. Lukaku had just finished a season on loan at Everton, where he had amassed double figures in the goals column for the second time. Nevertheless, Chelsea deemed him to be surplus to requirements and made his spot at Everton a permanent one. Lukaku would later go on to become one of the world's best centre-forwards, culminating in a victorious Serie A campaign with Inter Milan in 2020-21. Ironically, Lukaku has since returned to the London club, only to enter the worst slump of his career to date.

To be fair to Chelsea, they are run much better today than they were three or four years ago. It is much less likely that the Chelsea of today would have failed to see De Bruyne's potential the way that the Chelsea of back then did. However, every new page that De Bruyne continues to add to his story only serves to rub it in even more - the only two words that come to mind are "what if".

There are some mistakes that never truly leave a club because of how utterly monumental in scope they are. Despite what Chelsea have already accomplished in the years since De Bruyne's departure, no one can dispute that every time he comes back to haunt them, it was entirely of their own doing.

The Weekly Take, Issue 172: The Missing Piece

After eight years, one of the most underrated centre-forwards in football history has returned to his old stomping grounds and made an immediate impact. He made the loudest statement imaginable: "this is what you've been missing out on for all these years".

In a London derby at the Emirates Stadium, Chelsea defeated Arsenal 2-0. Making his first league appearance for Chelsea since August 2013, Romelu Lukaku opened the scoring for the Blues. Reece James would add another to seal the victory for the reigning European champions.

When Lukaku first arrived at Stamford Bridge as an 18-year-old in 2011, the Belgian was just fifth in the club's pecking order up front. Didier Drogba, Fernando Torres, Daniel Sturridge, and Salomon Kalou were all getting more playing time than he was. Keep in mind that this was a Drogba long past his prime and a Torres who was a mere shell of the elite striker which he had once been.

The next season, Lukaku would be sent on loan to West Bromwich Albion, where the first signs of the great player he would someday become began to evidence themselves. Lukaku scored 17 league goals for a team which was otherwise devoid of any significant talent whatsoever. After returning to Chelsea the next season, he would play just two league matches before spending four years at Everton, where he would break out and emerge as one of the most promising young stars in world football.

Stints at Manchester United and Inter Milan would follow; it would be at Inter where Lukaku would firmly establish himself as one of, at minimum, the top three centre-forwards on the planet. Scoring goals at an astonishing clip, Lukaku would be the driving force behind Inter's Serie A title in 2021 - their first in 11 years. This compelled Chelsea to bring Lukaku back to London for the extravagant yet fitting sum of €115 million.

The idea of just one signing making the team which just won the Champions League an even bigger threat may sound preposterous at first. Yet, this is exactly the case with Lukaku. Last season, no Chelsea player scored more than seven goals in the league. Lukaku should easily manage more than 20 himself; his return to Chelsea almost certainly makes them favourites for a first league title since 2017. His 24 league goals last season would have been enough to have placed him as the Premier League's leading goalscorer; in fact, had he never left for Inter, he would have claimed this honour in back-to-back seasons.

Lukaku's combination of physicality, athleticism, positional awareness, and finishing is extremely rare; this combination has made him the superstar striker he now is. It is no wonder that he commanded such an extravagant transfer fee - and deservedly so. What's more, Robert Lewandowski is now 33 years old and soon to reach his decline while Erling Haaland probably won't peak for several more years. Lukaku could realistically claim the status of "undisputed best centre-forward in the world" as soon as this season.

Lukaku's signing also reflects a tremendous improvement on the part of Chelsea's front office. In past years, owner Roman Abramovich might have just spent money recklessly, made a splashy signing for no particular reason, then looked on as that new signing failed to fit into the team and underperformed because he'd have been signed without regard for team setup. This is certainly not the case with Lukaku. Chelsea badly needed a true goalscoring threat to not only make a serious Premier League title challenge, but also to contend for back-to-back Champions League titles. With Lukaku back at Chelsea, they now have exactly that.

It is mind-boggling to think about what kind of success Chelsea could've had if they had never let Lukaku leave for Everton all those years ago. Over the past six seasons, Chelsea have averaged just 70 points in the league; a figure bested by four other clubs. This would surely have been different with Lukaku in tow; indeed, when Lukaku was at United, his 16 goals led the Red Devils to their best league campaign in five years.

Very few clubs get this kind of opportunity to atone for a past error. However, Chelsea now have exactly this chance - they can now focus on building their rebuilt team around Lukaku as they could've done way back then.

The Weekly Take, Issue 156: 2012 All Over Again?

It has been said that history has a way of repeating itself. Incredibly, we could be witnessing this adage in action in this season's Champions League.

In the 2011-12 season, an unfancied Chelsea team which endured a difficult Premier League season and fired an underperforming head coach mid-season completed a stunning underdog Champions League run which included a spectacular semifinal upset of a Spanish powerhouse (in that season, it was Barcelona).

Nine years later, and would you look at that - Chelsea entered the season on absolutely nobody's radar to make a deep Champions League run, let alone win the whole thing. They have not been in good form in the Premier League. Frank Lampard's dismal performance as the Blues' man in the dugout saw him lose his job in favour of Thomas Tuchel. And once again, Chelsea have been overcoming tremendous odds on their tournament journey thus far and could again upset a Spanish giant - Real Madrid this time.

In the first leg of their Champions League semifinal tie, Chelsea held Real to a 1-1 draw. Although Chelsea could not leave the Alfredo Di Stéfano Stadium with the victory, Christian Pulisic scored a crucial away goal that will give the London club the upper hand heading into next week's second leg.

Somehow, some way, Chelsea are actually likely to make the Champions League final. Those of you who have been following my blog for a while will know that I have often been rather critical of Chelsea. I've typically singled out club owner Roman Abramovich for blame; however, I've also sharply criticized Chelsea players and coaches alike in some of my previous posts.

However, credit where it's due - at least in the Champions League, Chelsea have displayed impressive grit, resolve, and poise under duress. Ever since Thomas Tuchel succeeded Lampard as Chelsea's head coach, he has turned Chelsea into a team which will not fold no matter the opposition. This was clearly shown in their round of 16 tie against Atlético Madrid. Almost everyone, myself included, expected this to be a one-sided matchup. While it certainly was that, only the most fervent Chelsea stans (yes, stans. I doubt even ordinary Chelsea fans would've expected this) would've said that it would be one-sided in Chelsea's favour. Yet, that's exactly what transpired; Chelsea beat Atlético 3-0 on aggregate, sending the Madrid club out of the tournament far earlier than most had anticipated.

On paper, there appears to be no reason why Chelsea should be doing this well. While N'Golo Kanté remains probably the world's best defensive midfielder, as he has been for the last four years or so, the players around him don't seem to particularly move the needle. Timo Werner has been a shadow of the RB Leipzig centre-forward who regularly destroyed defenses in the Bundesliga and beyond. He is on his way to his lowest goal tally in a season since 2016. Other much-heralded arrivals such as Hakim Ziyech, Pulisic, and Kai Havertz have thoroughly underwhelmed at Stamford Bridge thus far.

When looking at the other key players at Chelsea, the names that most stick out are the likes of Kurt Zouma, Ben Chilwell, Jorginho, a 36-year-old Thiago Silva, and Mason Mount. Though none of them seem to be players who could form the nucleus of a Champions League-winning team, if things break their way, that could end up being what actually happens.

Perhaps one of the secrets to Chelsea's success this season has been their extremely balanced attack. The fact that their superstar is a defensive midfielder means that more players take up the goalscoring burden, giving Chelsea a more diverse attacking threat. This fact is evidenced by this statistic: with just five matchdays in the Premier League season, no Chelsea player has scored more than six league goals thus far; Werner, Tammy Abraham, Mount, and Jorginho have all managed a half-dozen apiece. Even more astonishingly, their next-highest league goalscorer is Zouma - a centre-back.

Chelsea have silenced a myriad of doubters and critics (myself included) during this remarkable Champions League run. Could they cap it off with not only a victory against Real, a title which would be remembered forever?

I never thought I would say these words, but write off this Chelsea team at your peril.

The Weekly Take, Issue 117: Maybe He Isn't the Guy

The latest edition of the FA Cup final saw London rivals Arsenal and Chelsea squaring off. In the end, two goals scored by Arsenal striker Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang led the Gunners to a 2-1 victory and their record-extending 14th FA Cup title. It also put them into next season's Europa League even though they had initially failed to qualify after a dismal Premier League season in which they finished just eighth.

As for Chelsea, there are several reasons why the match did not go as planned. However, in my opinion, the person who is primarily culpable for the Blues' loss is head coach Frank Lampard.

It is true that Lampard has definitely improved as a coach as the season has gone on. After a shaky start, the former Chelsea legend began to grow into his new role on the other side of the touchline. He clearly increased his level of understanding about how this Chelsea team should be set up while also getting the players to fully trust him and buy into his tactics and ideas; these points are notable because many Chelsea coaches during the Roman Abramovich era have struggled in these areas.

One glaring error which was made by Lampard was the omission of N'Golo Kanté from the starting 11. Although there had been doubts over his condition heading into the match after having recently recovered from an injury, he should nevertheless have started. If a team's best player is fit enough to be on the bench, that player should start. Kanté is too good to be benched for a vital match such as this one. The Frenchman's omission was made even more obvious after Chelsea's central midfield duo of Jorginho and Mateo Kovačić were completely dominated by their opposing numbers Dani Ceballos and Granit Xhaka. Kovačić was also sent off after a second yellow card following an unnecessary foul on Xhaka with Chelsea already trailing. It is highly unlikely that Kanté would have committed the same error, and it is also possible that Chelsea might have equalized if the match had remained 11 against 11.

Lampard's substitutions were also somewhat questionable. It should not have taken him until the 78th minute to switch out the underperforming Mason Mount and Antonio Rüdiger, who had both been struggling throughout the match. Substitutes Tammy Abraham and Ross Barkley showed more ability, heart, and desire in their short stints on the pitch than the two who were replaced by them. Lampard's decision to replace captain César Azpilicueta with Andreas Christensen after Azpilicueta suffered an injury also backfired. Christensen's defensive error was the catalyst that ultimately led to Aubameyang scoring the winning goal. Furthermore, given Arsenal's typical style of play as well as the flow of the match at the time, Fikayo Tomori would have been a much more suitable selection to come off the bench.

Lampard also showed a relative lack of tactical nous during the match. Arsenal are a team known for their heavy use of long through-balls. However, the Chelsea coach failed to adapt his team's strategy to counter this and went on to pay the price when such a through-ball resulted in Arsenal's winning goal.

It is definitely worrying that in the most important match of his coaching career thus far, Lampard produced an extremely poor performance which likely cost his team an FA Cup. Although this is Lampard's first season coaching at this level, it must be kept in mind that Chelsea next season will be a vastly improved team when compared to the Chelsea of this season. Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech will be welcomed to Stamford Bridge; Bayer Leverkusen striker Kai Havertz will probably follow in their footsteps. This will be a team expected to challenge for Premier League and even Champions League titles, but they will win neither if Lampard's coaching does not improve further.

I would not say that Frank Lampard will never be a good coach. He has shown signs of progress throughout the season and has not only learned a great deal but also put what he has learned into practice. Certainly, he is today a far better coach than he was a year ago. However, judging by his display in the final, one might wonder if he is indeed the coach who might lead a rebuilt Chelsea to a Champions League title.

The Weekly Take, Issue 111: Die Bullen's Loss Is the Blues' Gain

As the Bundesliga season draws to a close, the final league positions have begun to be settled. Bayern Munich have clinched the league title for an eighth consecutive season. Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, secured second place in the league by beating RB Leipzig 2-0. Erling Håland continued his blistering run of form by scoring both of Dortmund's goals. Leipzig simply had no answer for the young Norwegian whose legend is growing with every match.

During the build-up to this match, much of the focus had been centred on Timo Werner. Leipzig's German centre-forward had just confirmed that he will sign for Chelsea on July 1, 2020. The Blues paid €53 million to land Werner. Given the likely trajectory of Werner's career over the coming years, this could potentially be an absolute bargain for the London club.

Werner's departure and all the talk surrounding it might have been a distraction to Die Bullen. All their players, Werner included, played well below the level at which they are capable of playing. Thus, it was no surprise to see them go down tamely to their opponents.

After four excellent seasons in Saxony, it is no surprise to see the Stuttgart-born player leave the club. Now, it must be mentioned that Leipzig are one of the best-run clubs in the Bundesliga. Their front office and scouting department have done superbly over the past few years. As a result of their efforts, Leipzig is by no means a team devoid of talent; it is one of the most balanced and well-rounded teams in European football today.

Nevertheless, there are several obvious reasons why a rising star like Werner would leave Leipzig for Chelsea. Probably the most important of these is, of course, the money. Owned by Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich, Chelsea can afford to pay Werner a far higher salary than any he could ever have earned in Saxony.

It is also easier for Werner to build his personal brand as a Chelsea player than it would be if he were to remain at Leipzig. Although Leipzig have been on the rise in recent years while Chelsea have been stuck in a rut largely due to Abramovich's incompetence as an owner, the fact remains that Chelsea have much, much more cultural cache than do Leipzig. The two clubs are, quite frankly, not even in the same universe when it comes to public recognition and branding.

By moving to Stamford Bridge, Werner also increases his chances of winning the Champions League. At present, if the current Chelsea and Leipzig squads were to face off in a 10-match series, the German club would probably win seven or eight of them. However, Chelsea are set up beautifully for the future. Werner will form part of a formidable core which will also include fellow young star Christian Pulisic as well as the player who I believe is world's best defensive midfielder: N'Golo Kanté. To make things even more interesting, Werner is still just 24 years old while Pulisic is 21. Even after Kanté ages and declines, Werner and Pulisic will be likely to form one of the most lethal duos in world football, especially once both reach their prime years. They will also be surrounded by other capable supporting pieces of similar ages such as Mason Mount, Fikayo Tomori, and Tammy Abraham.

If (and this is a very big if indeed) Abramovich does not fail to build around his new core the same way he failed to build around former Chelsea superstar Eden Hazard, there is a real possibility that within the next few years, one or perhaps more Champions League titles might be coming Chelsea's way. Having said that, Abramovich's track record in this area has generally been abysmal; thus, the next few years could also easily be barren. In either case, these are exciting times to be a Chelsea fan.

That being said, this also isn't a total loss for Leipzig. The money they received is certainly substantial. They can use it to bolster their Champions League and Bundesliga campaigns next season if they spend it wisely - something which they have often done in recent times. There are several solid centre-forward in the market right now who could be signed to replace Werner.

Regardless, Chelsea will be more pleased with this transfer than will Leipzig. It's not every day that a club gets to sign a potential future Ballon d'Or winner. Chelsea now have two.

The Weekly Take, Issue 88: Defying the Critics

Those of you who follow my posts regularly will know that the club on which I have probably been harshest is Chelsea. This is understandable, given their recent combination of a lack of performance on the field and complete mismanagement off it. Thus, there has been much to criticize about the Blues over the last few years.

This is why what I'm about to write may come as a surprise to some of you: this Chelsea team actually looks pretty good.

In their recent Champions League match against Ajax, the London club came back from a 4-1 deficit to gut out a 4-4 draw. Substitute Reece James scored the tying goal in the 74th minute to earn Chelsea an unlikely share of the points.

At the beginning of this season, if someone had told me that in the first week of November, Chelsea would be in second place in a Champions League group containing Ajax, Valencia, and Lille while also riding a lengthy winning streak in the Premier League to put daylight between themselves and other clubs chasing a top-four spot, I would not have believed that person. Yet, it is what it is - Chelsea look like a rejuvenated team.

So just how have they turned it around after a turbulent and largely unsuccessful past few years?

I'll start with the obvious reason: they wasted no time in transitioning from the Eden Hazard era to what I believe will be the Christian Pulisic era. Pulisic has received tremendous amounts of hype, and rightly so - his ceiling is one which very few players can ever hope to approach. Still only 21 years old, the American winger is likely to be the centrepiece of this Chelsea team for at least the next four or five years. He projects to become the type of player around whom, when he reaches his prime years, a Champions League title contender can be built. Of course, the onus is on Roman Abramovich and the rest of Chelsea's front office to ensure that Pulisic's prime is not wasted in the same way that Hazard's were.

Chelsea head coach Frank Lampard has also begun to get a better feel of his new position. When he took over in the dugout for the club at which he spent 13 years as a player, some eyebrows were raised because up to that point, he had not experienced much coaching success. Chelsea's slow start to the season did little to dispel these doubts. However, over the last few weeks, he has clearly begun to understand the strengths and weaknesses of this team much more and has thus been able to tailor the team's tactics to suit them - something his predecessor Maurizio Sarri was never quite able to do.

Chelsea have also benefited from breakout seasons by some of their previously unheralded players. The likes of Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, and Fikayo Tomori were not on the radars of most fans prior to this season, while Willian, Jorginho, and Kurt Zouma, among others, are playing arguably the best football of their career to date. This doesn't even account for the fact that the club's best player, defensive midfielder N'Golo Kanté, has missed most of the season thus far due to injuries.

After Hazard's departure to Real Madrid as well as the transfer ban which had been imposed on Chelsea, many expected Chelsea to have to suffer through something of a "lost season". However, they have certainly outperformed expectations up to this point of the season. What's more, when the woes of fellow London clubs Arsenal and Tottenham are taken into account, it can be seen that Chelsea have clearly re-established themselves as the best of the city's three major teams.

Now, I won't get carried away here - Chelsea's best-case scenario this season, in my opinion, is third place in the Premier League, an FA Cup victory, and a Champions League run to the quarterfinals. That being said, the set of results which have just been mentioned, while still rather unlikely, no longer appears as radically unrealistic as it did just two months ago.

At the start of the season, not many expected this team to gel the way that it has, but somehow, for the first time in a very long time, whatever Chelsea are doing seems to be working.

The Weekly Take, Issue 75: "Crisis" Is Too Mild a Word

It just keeps getting worse and worse for Chelsea.

The West London club were taken apart by a Manchester United team lacking the star power and flashy names of past years. The 4-0 loss was a clear indictment of everything that has gone wrong at Stamford Bridge over the past few years.

Evidence of how far this team has fallen could be seen in the players fielded in their starting 11. The likes of Ross Barkley, Mason Mount, Emerson Palmieri, and Tammy Abraham would not even come close to getting a start for most other major teams. It also didn't help Chelsea that they had been placed under a transfer ban.

The problems had already been mounting in prior seasons. Last season may have been their most tumultuous yet - only the outstanding play of Eden Hazard kept the club relevant, culminating in a rather undeserved Europa League victory.

It doesn't take a genius to figure out what Chelsea's main problem is: ownership. Roman Abramovich is clearly the worst owner in European club football. He has turned a once mighty club into a punchline.

There are some clubs which are outstandingly run from top to bottom. Clubs such as Liverpool, Napoli, Atlético Madrid, and (I may be a little biased here, but even my own) Borussia Dortmund come to mind. Even though these clubs do not always win titles, they are run in such a way that they are set up for success in a sustainable manner.

On the other hand, Abramovich has caused Chelsea to become a club which has turned into the exact opposite of those just mentioned.

The decisions he has made, especially over the last three to four years, have been mind-bendingly bad. Firing coaches left, right, and centre, including above-average to elite coaches such as José Mourinho, Antonio Conte, and most recently, Maurizio Sarri. Bringing out big money to sign average to below-average players; the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Danny Drinkwater, Jorginho, and Álvaro Morata come to mind. Signing players with no regard for how they would fit into the team and its strategy. Not having any patience with young academy players until now, after the transfer ban forced the hands of the club.

The transfer ban as well as the departure of legendary winger Hazard to Real Madrid have made circumstances even more difficult than ever before for the Blues, and there seems to be no way out.

In short, Chelsea are a veritable dumpster fire largely because of the Russian oligarch.

At the moment, the best course of action that could be taken by Chelsea might very well be offloading superstar defensive midfielder N'Golo Kanté who clearly is far too good for this club as well as several others, tear the whole thing down, and rebuild around rising star Christian Pulisic. Of course, this also implies that Abramovich will also sell the team to someone much more capable. It will be a process that may take three or four years, and in those years, Chelsea would be likely to finish around eighth to 12th in the Premier League and miss out on European football entirely. However, it may be the only way that the Blues ever return to becoming a true contender, whether domestically or in Europe.

Of course, this will almost certainly not happen. What is much more likely to happen is Abramovich making yet another ill-advised signing that wastes much of Chelsea's transfer money or perhaps firing another head coach and replacing him with someone even less suited for the position.

When Chelsea signed Pulisic from Dortmund, it was initially hailed as a major coup for the London club and a way for the Pennsylvania-born youngster to truly take his game to the next level. However, it looks as though Pulisic is about to embody the phrase "be careful what you wish for" - he could not possibly have found himself in a worse situation.

As for Kanté, he needs to follow in Hazard's footsteps and get out of Stamford Bridge as soon as he can. His career is in danger of stagnating if he stays at the moribund, directionless, embarrassing catastrophe of a football club that Chelsea has become.

This club may be damaged beyond repair.

The Weekly Take, Issue 46: Go South, Young Man

Chelsea’s troubled season has hit a new low.

The Blues did not put up any resistance whatsoever in a 2-0 London derby loss to Arsenal.

It was a disgraceful performance that was devoid of any heart, spirit, or verve – they were easily and systematically taken apart by the Gunners. So dismal were Chelsea that after the game, head coach Maurizio Sarri publicly questioned the team’s character and desire, and understandably so.

To put it in perspective, much-hyped players such as Jorginho, Mateo Kovačić, Pedro, and even the usually excellent N’Golo Kanté were completely dominated by the less-heralded likes of Mattéo Guendouzi, Lucas Torreira, and Sokratis Papastathopoulos.

But the problems at Stamford Bridge go beyond the pitch.

This club is dysfunctional to the core. Spending big money on players who went on to underperform greatly, firing coaches willy-nilly, giving up on players before they get their chance to shine – you name it, Chelsea since 2015 have done it.

Their poor results over the last three-and-a-half years speak for themselves.

One Premier League title which increasingly looks like an outlier. One FA Cup. No Champions League runs beyond the last 16. An average of 73 points per season at the time of writing, which would have seen them miss this season’s Champions League entirely (which, incidentally, they actually did). Absolutely nothing else to show for their immense spending.

I’ll go even further: there are only two reasons Roman Abramovich and his Chelsea team are not complete laughingstocks.

The first is because unlike the NBA or NFL, for example, European football has no salary cap. Abramovich’s immense wealth serves as a shield from his own incompetence as a club owner.

Abramovich just assumes that throwing major money at whatever the problem may be will solve it, regardless of the true situation.

I would even say that Chelsea are the New York Knicks of European football.

Impatient. Mismanaged. Don’t develop young prospects properly. Disastrous talent evaluation skills.

Like the Knicks, the only things Chelsea have going for them are their wealth and the large, glamorous market they play in.

The second reason may soon no longer apply to Chelsea. This reason is none other than Eden Hazard.

Ever since the Belgian superstar came to London in 2012, he has been let down by the club time and again in terms of surrounding him with the best possible supporting cast.

This team shipped out players such as Romelu Lukaku, Kevin De Bruyne, Mo Salah, and Filipe Luís before any of them had spent much time on the Chelsea roster.

It only gets worse when one considers that in that same timespan, Chelsea’s five most expensive signings have been Kepa Arrizabalaga, Álvaro Morata, Jorginho, Tiémoué Bakayoko, and Danny Drinkwater.

Taking all of this into consideration, as well as the facts that Hazard is in his prime at 27 years old and linked with Real Madrid, it is clear: for the sake of his career, Eden Hazard needs to leave the dumpster fire that Chelsea currently is and head for the Santiago Bernabéu.

A player as great as Hazard is does not deserve to be placed in the situation he finds himself in at Chelsea. What’s more, ever since Cristiano Ronaldo left Real for Juventus, Real have been struggling to fill the void left behind by the Portuguese legend.

Hazard’s arrival would change that. We have seen how great he is, whether in the Premier League, Champions League, World Cup, or European Championships. If he were to leave in this current transfer window, he would fit in seamlessly alongside the likes of Luka Modrić, Gareth Bale, Raphaël Varane, and compatriot and former Chelsea teammate Thibaut Courtois.

What’s more, in a few years’ time, Hazard might be expendable at Chelsea anyway. The London club have just signed the much younger but incredibly talented Christian Pulisic from Borussia Dortmund, who plays the same position that Hazard does. It’s as though even Chelsea themselves expect Hazard to leave.

Even if he were to stay at Stamford Bridge, Eden Hazard will be remembered as an all-time great and the finest footballer to ever come out of Belgium. Hazard is also arguably already the greatest player to ever wear the royal blue of Chelsea.

But if he is to truly cement his legacy, he has to go – the sooner, the better – for his club has failed him one too many times and will likely continue to do so, should he stay.

The Weekly Take, Issue 38: A Harsh Reality Check

Any match between two of London’s three leading clubs will have some added spice heading into it, and the recent game between Tottenham and Chelsea was no different.

However, this particular London derby failed to live up to the pre-game hype. Tottenham swept Chelsea aside, winning 3-1. What’s more, the final scoreline did not reflect how one-sided the game truly was. Such was Tottenham’s superiority that they could easily have beaten a discombobulated, disjointed Chelsea team by at least four goals.

But even more than that, this loss highlighted that Chelsea are still a long way from challenging for titles, whether domestically or in Europe. Although the appointment of Maurizio Sarri as head coach has somewhat improved the current situation at Stamford Bridge, the reality is that Sarri’s arrival at Chelsea has merely papered over the cracks at a team which is systemically and fundamentally flawed.

The first aspect which must be discussed is what Chelsea did during the previous off-season.

As has been the case in many of the last few transfer windows, Chelsea once again failed to improve their squad and overpaid for players. In terms of personnel, they are arguably even worse off than they were before the transfer window began.

While Jorginho has played fairly well for the Blues thus far, his transfer fee of ₤51.3 million was clearly an overpay on Chelsea’s part, especially considering the fact that his vastly superior teammate in midfield N’Golo Kanté was signed for ₤32 million.

Chelsea also inexplicably let Michy Batshuayi spend the season on loan at Valencia. Considering the fact that Chelsea now have only two strikers in their squad after Batshuayi’s departure, the move was a real head-scratcher.

Of course, one of the two elephants in the room has to be mentioned here: the departure of Thibaut Courtois.

Although Courtois had openly stated his intentions to leave Chelsea, the club only received ₤31.5 million and a season-long loan for Mateo Kovačić from Real Madrid. While Kovačić has had a good season thus far, this is in no way an adequate return for the Belgian superstar.

It gets even worse, though.

Shortly before Courtois left Chelsea, his replacement had already been signed: Kepa Arrizabalaga, whom Chelsea picked up from Athletic Bilbao for the record-breaking price of ₤72 million.

At the time of his signing, Kepa had only played in a major football league for two years, totalling 53 appearances for Bilbao. Kepa had also only earned one cap for Spain to that point.

Kepa is a solid goalkeeper, but he is certainly not deserving of the status of “world’s most expensive goalkeeper”. I can think of at least 10 goalkeepers, of which Courtois is one, who would or should command a higher transfer fee than the Basque shot-stopper.

The second elephant in the room is the transfer drama surrounding Eden Hazard.

There has been much speculation linking Chelsea’s best player with a move to Real Madrid. Although these transfer links have existed for a while now, they only strengthened after the winger’s spectacular World Cup campaign for Belgium, in which he helped them to third place and only finished behind Luka Modrić in the tournament MVP rankings.

It appears that the uncertainty surrounding Hazard has destabilized the locker room at Chelsea, as even though they started the season well, Chelsea seem to have lost some of their edge since, as could be seen in their loss to Spurs.

If Hazard leaves, his departure could prove to have a domino effect, causing even more players to leave and Chelsea to lose even more ground to rival teams.

Finally, with the exception of Kanté, this Chelsea team – Hazard included to some extent – seems to lack heart and fighting spirit compared to other leading teams.

Teams such as Liverpool, Manchester City, and Arsenal would certainly not have folded the way Chelsea did after falling behind against Spurs. This is a definite indictment on the team’s mentality – they just do not seem to want it badly enough. The Spurs match was especially egregious because it was a derby – the sort of match you would expect players to most desire a victory in.

Although Chelsea shuffled the deck during the off-season, it appears that they have only drawn a pair against their rivals’ full houses, flushes, and straights.