Why Chelsea NEED another transfer ban

Cameron Smith

• 6 Aug 2024 22:30 BST
• 4 min read

Five years ago, Chelsea were handed a transfer ban that prevented them from making any new signings during the 2019-20 season.

That campaign saw Frank Lampard blood a plethora of Cobham academy graduates into the first-team, and while Chelsea only finished fourth, it was a hugely successful year.

Mason Mount, Tammy Abraham, Reece James and Fikayo Tomori were key players, while Billy Gilmour and Tariq Lamptey were handed senior debuts.

READ MORE: Premier League summer transfers 2024 - All the Done Deals

12 months later, Lampard was out, Thomas Tuchel was in and Chelsea were champions of Europe.

Big-money signings Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell and Edouard Mendy all played significant roles - as did Thiago Silva, who arrived on a free transfer - but several crucial players from 2019-20 were also vital in the Blues’ Champions League triumph.

Fast forward to the present day and Chelsea look vastly different.

READ MORE: How Chelsea will line up in 2024-25

The arrival of Todd Boehly, Behdad Eghbali and Clearlake Capital as owners has seen an over-obsession with new signings plague the Stamford Bridge outfit.

Over €1 billion has been spent on players since 2022 and Chelsea have somehow regressed despite that investment.

The west London club have avoided buying known entities and they have banked on the scouting potential of Joe Shields, Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.

In total, 34 players have joined Chelsea since Clearlake Capital’s arrival and that immense transfer activity has resulted in an extremely bloated squad.

Chelsea now have 45 first-team players on their books, as per the club’s website, yet they are continually linked with more signings.

For example, Samu Omorodion and Victor Osimhen could both arrive before the 2024 summer window ends, despite the existing presence of Nicolas Jackson, Christopher Nkunku, Marc Guiu, Romelu Lukaku, Armando Broja and Deivid Washington as centre-forward options.

As extreme as it might sound, would Chelsea actually benefit from a transfer ban?

Chelsea’s transfer obsession

Young players need game time to develop. That’s a fact. While Chelsea have prioritised signing young players, they seemingly haven’t prioritised a development plan.

They simply have too many youngsters on their books, meaning some won’t receive the minutes necessary to develop and reach their potential.

Despite this, Chelsea’s elaborate spending is not slowing down, and Mike Penders (KRC Genk), Aaron Anselmino (Boca Juniors) and Gabriel Mec (Gremio) are set to become the latest wonderkids to join the club.

If the Blues actually want these players to become first-team regulars, a transfer ban would enable their many ‘wonderkid’ signings to be given a chance in the senior side, as their path wouldn’t be blocked by more new arrivals.

If the Blues simply see these youngsters as profit-makers, which is the more likely answer, a transfer ban would stop players being treated as products.

Of course, Chelsea aren’t on course for a transfer ban as things stand and their owners have found smart loopholes to comply with financial regulations.

However, a transfer ban, whether it’s a self-imposed one or one issued by UEFA, could indirectly help the club and its players.