How Chelsea takeover effects Man Utd, Arsenal & Liverpool’s transfer plans

Robin Bairner

• 7 May 2022 10:07 BST
• 4 min read

Chelsea’s imminent takeover by the consortium led by Todd Boehly may be great news for the Stamford Bridge club, but conversely it promises to be a nightmare for their Premier League rivals.

Manchester United, Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City all operate in the same level of the transfer market at the Blues, and they would secretly have been hoping that one of their biggest rivals would have been handicapped in the summer.

Indeed, for a long period it seemed that Chelsea may miss the start of the summer transfer window, but with the club reporting that they expect the takeover to be completed by the end of May, they should be functioning on a relatively normal basis by the time it opens.

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Of course, the deal will come too late to prevent Antonio Rudiger or Andreas Christensen leaving the club, and it also arrives at too late a point to prevent Erling Haaland from completing his move to Man City from Borussia Dortmund, but the Blues should remain muscular in the transfer window.

While it is unknown just how Boehly & Co. will deal in the transfer market, there is one area of the team that will give major clues as to how serious they are going to be about spending big: central midfield.

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This is the sector of the team that all of the Premier League’s top clubs wish to strengthen, and it is here that we may learn the most about Chelsea’s new policy.

Will they go for an early show of strength by moving for West Ham’s Declan Rice? The Hammers appear to be doing their best to price everyone out of the market in his case, so it would be a huge statement if they were to sign him. Man Utd seemed to have a clear path to the England international, but with Chelsea back in the game, that should not be taken for granted.

Equally, could they move for Aurelien Tchouameni of Monaco, a player they would likely need to go toe-to-toe with their rivals with to sign. After all, he has been linked to all of the big Premier League teams. Needless to say, this only benefits the selling club as it drives the asking price up. However, if Chelsea were to win such a duel, it would send a clear message that they remain a club not to be meddled with.

And, of course, there is a third option in this area and put faith in what they already have. Conor Gallagher and Billy Gilmour, after all, will return to the club after loan deals and both promise big futures.

There are other areas of the squad, too, where Chelsea must strengthen, yet how they deal with the midfield issue will be instructive to their biggest rivals as to the measure of the new owners.