In a market driven by the economic needs that the COVID-19 crisis has created in the vast majority of clubs, Chelsea seems to have been playing another game. The London team has got back to work and Abramovich, through his right hand Marina Granovskaia, has decided to re-create a super project at Stamford Bridge.
While the rest of the teams in the world have done the impossible to balance the accounts of this difficult course, Chelsea has spent almost 250 million euros between Kai Havertz (80), Timo Werner (53), Ben Chilwell (50), Hakim Ziyech (40) and Edouard Mendy (24). In return, only 74 million have entered, corresponding to the sales of Mario Pasalic (15), Nathan (3) and Alvaro Morata (56), because the signing of the Spanish by Atlético became effective in the month of July.
The numbers leave a balance of -173.20 million which, added to the very extensive squad that the blues have, 35 players, shows that In these last 48 hours of the market, Chelsea needs to make a large and express exit operation.
The first player to appear on the starting ramp is Marcos Alonso. The Spanish side who was so important in Conte's project, has completely broken his relationship with Lampard after the discussion they had when Alonso wanted to get on the bus after being substituted at halftime against West Brom, at which time Chelsea lost 3-0. Last season he had an intermittent role, playing just 18 Premier League games, and after the signing of Ben Chilwell, the Spanish had it even more difficult to count on minutes. The discussion with Lampard and the non-call against Tottenham certify almost 100% his departure. A Reunion with Antonio Conte at Inter seems the most feasible but Juventus cannot be ruled out either.
Marcos Alonso's situation is great news for a player who at the beginning of the summer had a foot and a half outside of London. Emerson It was the left-back who last season alternated minutes with Marcos and even Azpilicueta, having less importance than the former Real Madrid player. Everything pointed to a way out, but recent events suggest that Lampard has chosen him as Ben Chilwell's substitute.. Despite this, the Brazilian has a good lineup in Italy, where he played for Roma, and Goal reports that Inter is interested, SportMediaset is targeting Napoli and La Stampa targeting Juve.
The wings are not the only point at which Chelsea have to lighten their chips, but casualties are also expected in their controversial center of defense. First Malang sarr it will almost certainly be yielded. The blues took the player valued at 16 million (via Transfermarkt) for free in a great market opportunity at the end of his contract with Nice, but the 21-year-old Frenchman has no place in the squad. Telefoot reports that Saint-Étienne wants him on loan after selling Wesley Fofana to Leicester. At Stamford Bridge they believe in Sarr but consider that he needs a loan to continue growing.
With the French out of the squad, the team would continue to count on five centrals, the newcomer Thiago Silva, Tomori, Zouma, Rudiger and Christensen. Chelsea have started this season with the same defensive problems as last year and with the Brazilian removed it seems that none of the other options enchants Lampard. Christensen has started all the league games except against Crystal Palace on the last day, Zouma has played every game except for the draw against West Brom, Rudiger has not yet counted on minutes and the young Tomori has played both games of the League Cup and 45 minutes against Liverpool.
Due to his age, 25 years, Zouma would be the player with the largest box could be made, but It was the most used by Lampard last season and this year it points in the same direction. Christensen was one of the most criticized but his appearance in all Premier League matches, except for the last one, suggests that Lampard loves him. That Leave Rudiger and Tomori alone on the exit ramp. The former, when he was not injured, played almost every minute last year but the fact that hee has been left out of the call in five of the six games suggests that it will be the one that comes out. Some rumors they related him to PSG Y The Mirror reports that Tottenham and West Ham want him in loan form, but that Chelsea will only accept if they extend their contract for one year, which ends in 2022. Sky Germany points to Inter and Roma, team he played for before arriving in London, they are also interested in the central. For its part, Tomori has been linked all summer with a loan to Everton but in recent days Lampard has given signs of having him, so he could finally stay.
In the midfield the blues also have a significant overbooking and this time full of players who are directly discards. Bakayoko is the clearest example and that is that the player who cost 40 million in 2017 does not count for Frankie and the last two seasons he has been on loan, first Milan and then Monaco. Milan were the team most interested in recovering him but this time Chelsea wants the transfer to include a mandatory purchase option close to 30 million. Thus According to The Sun or Goal, PSG would have gone ahead and would now be the favorite to take over the midfielder. Despite this, the journalist Nicoló Schira indicates that the player is still waiting for Milan.
Loftus-Cheek is another one aiming to get out. The promising Chelsea youth squad is now 24 years old and after missing most of last season due to injury, this year has not got off to a good start. He started in the league debut against Brighton but his poor performance has left him out of the call in the rest of five games. According to The Athletic, it has the interest of Southampton but the 100,000 weekly pounds that the player's salary represents, makes the operation difficult. The format of the transfer should be a loan in which Chelsea take over part of the salary. It would not be surprising either if the player who has only played 288 minutes in the last 16 months stayed.
In the list of discards in the center of the field, the name of the Danny Drinkwater. The one who was champion of the Premier with Leicester has failed miserably in London and last year he was on loan at Burnley and Aston Villa. At Stamford Bridge they don't have him and According to Radio Esport Valencia, Valencia could be very interested in taking him on loan. Chelsea would assume part of his salary, as he did last year, and in principle there would be no purchase option.
The last midfielder with a foot and a half outside the team is Victor moses, who played last season on loan at Inter de Conte. ANDLampard himself has confirmed that the player is not entering with the first team So it seems clear that he will leave Chelsea before October 5.
We come to the end of this endless operation exit with perhaps the most interesting name, Callum Hudson-Odoi. The winger is one of the pearls that have recently come out of the Chelsea academy, but the feeling that it does not finish exploding and the great signings that the team has made in the offensive field, complicate its progression a lot. Last season between injuries and substitutions he stayed only in 1609 minutes and at this start of the season despite the injuries of Ziyech and Pulisic he has only played 55 minutes between the three Premier games, yes, playing the 90 minutes in the two Copa clashes.
According to information from The Athletic, Chelsea is looking for an exit in the form of a loan and Sky Germany points out that Bayern would be the team interested in taking over the services of the young English player. Most likely, the transaction was closed in the form of a loan, but no further details have been released.
Point to part is the theme of Kepa Arrizabalaga which has continued to have failures at the start of the season and in principle has lost ownership permanently with the signing of Edouard Mendy. Chelsea would like to get an exit but his high record, 165,000 euros, makes a transfer very difficult and Chelsea does not even want to think about a sale that does not allow him to recover a large part of the 80 million they invested in him two years ago.
Up to a total of nine operations are those that Chelsea could have in mind in these last 48 hours of the market. Bakayoko, Drinkwater and Moses are the movements that will be causing Marina Granovskaia the most headaches since they are players completely ruled out by Lampard but that they represent a considerable wage bill, more than six million for French and more than five and a half million for English.
Chelsea is a team that has us used to having a legion of loan officers spread across Europe but the superproject set up this year requires a larger than usual exit operation. At the exits of Ross Barkley, Michy Batshuayi, Davide Zapacosta, Mario Pasalic, Kenedy, Matt Miazga, Ethan Ampadu, Jamal Blackman, Danilo Pantic, Lewis Baker, Nathan, Willian and PedroThese last two, after the end of the contract, could be joined by several names in these last hours of the market. Abramovich's revolution to re-create a champion Chelsea demands it.