Five big issues Chelsea’s new owners must tackle immediately
Robin Bairner
- 7 May 2022 14:37 BST
- 4 min read
Chelsea’s takeover is set to be completed at the end of May, with Todd Boehly’s consortium having agreed a £4.25 billion deal to buy the club, but the club’s problems will not stop there.
The Stamford Bridge side have been in a state of limbo in recent weeks after the UK government froze the assets of owner Roman Abramovich, forcing a hurried sale amid fears that the club might even go under in the worst-case scenario.
While this never truly looked on the cards, the Blues have lost weeks of time in preparation for the transfer window. For example, Antonio Rudiger is set to leave for Real Madrid because there were no guarantees that his present employers would be in a position to negotiate with him.
There are a number of loose ends that need quickly assessed and dealt with, meaning that Boehly’s group are in for a busy summer.
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Defence
The most pressing issue for Chelsea comes in their rearguard, where they are set to be chronically short of numbers as players depart.
Rudiger is heading for Real Madrid, Andreas Christensen is off to Barcelona and Cesar Azpilicueta’s future remains unknown. All three have played regularly this season and leave Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr and Trevoh Chalobah as their main options.
Clearly reinforcements are needed – and quickly.
Romelu Lukaku
The return of Romelu Lukaku to Chelsea last summer was hailed as an important piece of their jigsaw, yet the Belgium international star has flopped and finds himself on the periphery of things. He has even admitted that he wants to return to Inter.
What do Chelsea’s new owners do with their most expensive asset? Do they persist and hope he stumbles into some form, or is it already time to cut him loose and limit the losses?
Mason Mount and Reece James contracts
Academy products Mason Mount and Reece James have both caught the eye for the Blues this season but there had been speculation that they may be among the high-profile casualties of Chelsea’s ownership crisis.
The new Stamford Bridge board must make sure this is not the case. They can do this simply by giving the pair improved contracts. After all, these are players who could spend the bulk of their career at the club and be the foundation for the future project to be built upon.
Midfield
Chelsea are bound to look at their midfield this summer, with Jorginho not a favourite of the fans and N’Golo Kante not getting any younger. It is an area they must look to rejuvenate. How they do that will set the tone for the Boehly transfer consortium going forward.
They can take several approaches, from going for a big-money signing to make a statement, to fending with their Premier League rivals for popular targets, or they could look to promote Conor Gallagher or Billy Gilmour from within.
Get rid of the deadwood
Over the Abramovich years, Chelsea allowed a huge mass of players to build up. If they were not good enough, no problem, they were just sent out on loan.
With regulations set to tighten the number of temporary moves that clubs can make, the Blues will have to get smarter in this regard.
Michy Batshuayi, Tiemoue Bakayoko, Danny Drinkwater, Ross Barkley, Emerson… all remain on the club’s books for big money and need to go. Finding buyers, though, will be no easy task.
