Chelsea Silence - The Latest
Chelsea insider Dan McCarthy provides clarity on the silence around Chelsea's transfer business
“The best things happen in silence.” Nirmal Raj
Many Chelsea fans by now would’ve been accustomed to Chelsea often choosing to do their transfer business behind the scenes, both incoming and outcoming. Many deals in recent years have been ‘last minute’ due to the sudden nature of when the details become public knowledge.
What I can tell you is Chelsea aren’t the easiest club to gather information on/from, they are very good at preventing leaks for the most part + keeping their cards close to their chest, just ask many of the journalists who work around the club. With that said, whilst some have chosen to treat the ‘lack of updates’ around Chelsea’s incoming business as a positive sign that Chelsea’s board are working in the background, others have become irate and impatient with the lack of clarity.
What I can confirm, is Chelsea are still actively working on if/how they can obtain their top targets, which have been public knowledge for a while now. However, there is more to it than that…
Why aren’t we hearing much about the incomings?
Remember a couple of months back when I wrote/tweeted Chelsea were prioritising selling players this summer? Well, in short, this remains the case. Chelsea have a mass of players they need to get off the books in order to balance the financial sheets, lower the wage bill, trim the squad and ultimately raise further funds to attack their top two targets in Erling Haaland and Declan Rice, of whom both belong to clubs somewhat unwilling to sell and will cost a pretty penny to sign.
Chelsea have made a couple of sales already recently, none more a representation of a typical Chelsea outgoing than Marc Guehi’s surprise exit to Crystal Palace, for a fee thought to be around 18 million. Whilst many will say “Roman doesn’t need to raise funds, he can afford it all now!” A stern reminder, Chelsea Football Club is a business.
What’s going on with Haaland?
Many a report is being written on this saga, ‘updates’ here there and everywhere, many saying the same thing according to the Twitter masses. I will keep it brief, to avoid repeating myself and keep things efficient, as many know I like to do.
In all honesty, not much has changed on this front, much of what I wrote in my previous article on Haaland here still reigns true. Chelsea are actively weighing up whether they can muster up a bid significant enough to entice Borussia Dortmund to sell this summer, against their will. A lot of the noise is coming from Sky Germany, which is somewhat typical, but also a representation that Dortmund/Raiola may be inviting this noise to stir up the interest and boost the financial figures around a deal. On the flip side, it’s in Chelsea’s best interest to keep things quiet, in order to focus on the negotiations themselves, building a trust/rapport with the selling club and avoiding outside interest circulating.
Those who follow my Twitter account here know my personal thoughts on this saga. Again, just my opinion.
Nevertheless, whilst it remains unlikely due to Inter’s stance + the player’s reluctance to force a move as of now, I am still told (as I was and reported earlier this summer) to not rule out a move for Romelu Lukaku. Whilst the Belgian forward would still cost a good amount to sign, the deal is an easier one to do than that of Erling Haaland. It’s too early to rule this one out, albeit being an unlikely deal as of now, let’s see…
What about Declan Rice?
After a great European Championship with England, Rice with Mount and others are enjoying a well-earned break. We know Chelsea and Tuchel are fans of the player, it’s no secret the player is fond of Chelsea either, which potentially only calms things, as Chelsea know a deal can be done pretty swiftly as long as they pay.
With that said, many reports have circulated that Chelsea are preparing a bid on the lower side of things for Rice. As I mentioned on our podcast in recent weeks, I am reluctant to report/believe this as of now due to last summer’s saga, where we did everything but bid for the player. Chelsea typically do not officially bid unless they are very confident they can obtain the player, meaning a bid comes late down the food chain in typical negotiations that involve Chelsea potentially buying a player.
On the positive side of things, West Ham have a serious interest in Tammy Abraham which only helps Chelsea’s stance. Whilst a swap deal will not happen, negotiations can be had and this is a conversation starter, albeit West Ham being reluctant as of now to pay the price Chelsea are demanding (we’ve certainly heard that before).
I’m told to expect this one to potentially ramp up in the coming weeks, as Chelsea get more players out the door and Chelsea shift their focus further to the incoming department and backing Thomas Tuchel. Despite my personal concerns that this deal can be done this summer due to West Ham’s strong stance on keeping their prized possession, this deal is certainly one that can be done pretty swiftly, as long as Chelsea pay a good amount.
What about alternative targets?
Chelsea are still very much focused on their top targets in this window, however, they are certainly keeping tabs on other targets in case they are unable to get their prized targets, also players in other positions such as centre backs, wide players and back up goalkeepers. We know Chelsea have spoken to other parties other than Haaland and Rice, which is just ‘due diligence and smart business. With that said, Thomas Tuchel likes the players at his disposal and is apparently comfortable with going into the season with what he has, meaning I doubt we’ll see 4-5 signings this window, nor many if any random names/next-gen superstars.
A reminder:
In short, whilst Chelsea are of course looking to bring players in, ideally their number one targets, they are just as focused on cashing in on players and balancing the books, as I reported a while back. Also, Chelsea simply are going after players who are on top of their game, coveted by many and cost significant amounts of money, especially when you take into account the team’s they play for, the agent fees, wages and more.
Personally, I am confident Chelsea will make 1-2 signings this summer. Who they are remains to be seen, as we wait to hear of any significant updates on this; when I have them, you will be the first to know. As a fan, I understand the eagerness to see Chelsea strengthen their team after our Champions League win, trust me I’d love it too! However, please be patient, and sit calmly knowing full well that Chelsea are working behind the scenes in an effort to make arguably the biggest deals football can currently offer happen.
Written by Dan McCarthy - @MaccaSport
Excellent insights Dan !!! It all makes good sense, and you're absolutely right about Chelsea's " Silence Is Golden" (good Sixties tune) approach. Even more precisely on their secretive strategy, they seem to borrow from the military advisory of the WW2 era: "Loose lips sink ships. " That would certainly apply in the business world too !!!
Cheers for the update Dan! We appreciate you and Si’s news a lot, twitter haters can be too much at times but there are a good bunch of us that values your info! UTC💙