A common gripe of many fans is Chelsea football club’s poor transfer strategy. The club have overseen some horrific transfer windows in recent times, namely the transfer windows following Jose Mourinho and Antonio Conte’s title winning campaigns. Chelsea spent 230 million pounds in 2017-2018, however there are no starters of those transfer incomings. That is a glaring issue, if a club spends 200 million pounds +, there is an expectation of top-quality players being bought. Chelsea need a better transfer strategy, point blank. The issue has never been spending power at Chelsea, and that remains true. Chelsea have spent the second most money in the league since 2015, with the transfer expenditures totalling 656 million pounds. Chelsea remain one of the Premier League’s biggest spenders even with FFP regulations in place. Now, we get into the most recent happenings of Chelsea’s transfer dealings. In 2019, Chelsea were dealt a transfer ban as a result of breaching article 19 of UEFA’s RSTP (Regulations on the Transfer Status and Transfer of Players), with article 19 of the registration requirements of minor players having been breached. Retrospectively, the ban was a blessing in disguise.
The Board:
Another common gripe in discourse surrounding Chelsea Football Club is the big bad board. These conclusions are unfounded, the board have transcended football with the newfound business model and club at an operational level. If we take a look at how reigning European champions Liverpool conduct business, and how their hierarchies are formed Chelsea’s structure becomes bleaker. The Chelsea board consists of a sole owner, Roman Abramovich, a chairman in Bruce Buck and a board of directors with the infamous Marina Granovskaia, Eugene Tenenbaum and Guy Lawrence rounding it off. The problem isn’t the board, it’s more so that there’s a missing link between first team needs and the board. An analysis of the transfer spending of Liverpool over the last five years proves this to be true. Liverpool have taken analytics to an entire new level, their incoming transfers are carefully coordinated on the basis of the coach’s player profile recommendations, the analytics team’s recommendations, and the available players on the market. Liverpool’s star players bar the arrival of record-setting Virgil Van Dijk have been bargain purchases. Chelsea have an analytics team and world-class scouting department, however, with the limited data available there remains what seems to be a disconnect with the board and first team.
Recommendations:
First and foremost, Chelsea have the financial means and ambitions to reach the pinnacle of European football. There has been no fall from grace rather there has been an adjustment period. Chelsea have adjusted to the FFP regulations and thrived as a result. I recommend an analytics driven transfer approach. Companies such as StatBomb, UnderStat and Squawkwa have made a living by intertwining football and analytics. By using these data driven approaches clubs can spend shrewdly while competing for major trophies, just as Liverpool and more recently RB Leipzig have shown in their recent dealings. I recommend both scouts, coaches and the board members be heavily acquainted with analytics as the value for money is an excellent return. By focusing on an analytics-based strategy, Chelsea would be able to make shrewd purchases like the recent arrival Hakim Ziyech who is European Football’s premier creator while providing tactical dynamism and squad versatility.
Secondly, a designated director of football. Far too often, the board is blamed for poor transfer incomings which isn’t necessarily their fault. The board is composed of upper echelon corporate minds as most corporations are, however, there needs to be an upper echelon football mind to connect the off-pitch success with the on-pitch success. Following the departure of Michael Emenalo in 2017, Chelsea have lacked that link. By employing a director of football, a person who meets the boards ambitions as well as understands the needs of the head coach from a footballing perspective Chelsea will be able to seamlessly transition squad needs to the board level without the brunt of the loan army, transfer dealings, corporate operations, commercial operations and footballing operations all on the shoulders of the board of directors.
Chelsea: What the future holds
Chelsea hired former player and legend Frank Lampard as the head coach, who was able to integrate youth starlets into the Premier League with resounding success. Reeece James, Callum Hudson-Odoi, Tammy Abraham, Mason Mount, Billy Gilmour and Fikayo Tomori most noticeably. What Chelsea and Frank Lampard have done this season is nothing short of remarkable, they’ve bred a new core and not spent a penny. Chelsea have rebuilt a new spine in the men’s first team using their highly touted youth system. This youth experiment has paid dividends on the pitch with Chelsea sitting in fourth in the Premier League table. Chelsea have all to gain as, if a youngster isn’t able to match the ambitions off the pitch, they can be sold for a massive profit thus yielding pleasurable returns. By rebuilding the core of the men’s first team with youth, the club has saved hundreds of millions in transfer fees and contractual obligations. All transfers are amortized over the course of their contractual length, with players who transfer from the youth team to the first team their contractual obligations prove to be brilliant value for money. The contractual obligations of first team players from Chelsea’s youth team don’t face a transfer fee that has to be amortized, nor high agent fees, taxes, image rights etc. These contracts are far cheaper than buying players across the continent and said youth players are just as talented if not more so.
Conclusion:
Chelsea have capital, ambition, a self-sustainable business model and a rich history. Chelsea remains one of Europe’s super clubs in terms of market buying power and marketing pull however can make strides to improve their success on the pitch. The future is bright for Chelsea, all it takes is a long-term strategy, a few key additions to the board and continued fan support to see them resurrect to football’s elite competitions with regularity.
By @MedianoEra
Edited by Jai Mcintosh & Dami Adeleye