The recently concluded window rounds up what was seen as the last chapter in the management’s four window plan to totally overhaul the playing squad they inherited from the previous ownership and set the club up for long term success in their image.
However, with many fans still feel unsatisfied at the make-up of the squad which they see as unable to dominate the league for years like Manchester City at the end of the 2017/18 summer transfer window.
We look at ‘The Chelsea Project’ and attempt to explain what it may entail and what the fans can come to expect after limited direct communications from the owners.
Firstly, there’s an attempt to have a hard reset with regards to the playing squad. The game of football is simple: the team with the better players wins the game. While this doesn’t always happen in every single game, over the course of the season the team with the better players wins the titles.
Recruitment was also a critical success factor in the Roman Abramovich era but then, the equation of the club was: buying consistent stars (finished articles) with reliable output equals titles. The Clearlake/Todd Boehly era’s equation with is: talented young players with high potential plus enough game time (a developmental pathway) equals consistent stars with reliable output which then equals titles. The idea seems to be to get them in before they become superstars commanding hefty transfer fees and wages, give them the game time to develop in the club or on loan, watch them become superstars while at the club, and win titles with them. The end goal here seems to be the same, but the starting point is different.
It’s no surprise that these younger, relatively inexperienced players are more amenable to accepting heavily incentivised contracts where they earn a low base salary which has seen the club heavily slash its wage bill. The continued recruitment of even younger players to join the team at a set date in the future also seems to suggest that the club wants to have a conveyor belt of talent that refreshes the current squad with even younger talent to be developed at every transfer window. The formula again seems to be about bringing in youngsters with very high potential at initial low costs and developing them into the finished articles – Bukayo Saka’s growth from young left-back with incredible talent and potential during the 2019/20 season to a high performing, consistent right winger at Arsenal is an example. Also, the focus of the club’s recruitment seems to have shifted from buying big names to buying ‘player profiles’ needed by the team which was most exemplified by the signing of Renato Veiga.
While some of the elements above seem exciting, there seems to be a few problems with this approach. Even if we completely ignore the fact that this has not been done before at any big club like Chelsea with the ambition of winning trophies, the young players can only boast of one thing – potential. However, potential is only one of the necessary ingredients needed to succeed as a top football player as a lot can happen in the development of a player that will eventually see a high potential player turn out to have a very average career. We only need to look at names like Anwar El Ghazi, Lewis Cook and even former Chelsea youngsters such as Jeremie Boga, Josh McEachran and Gael Kakuta all of whom were youngsters with very high potential, but eventually turned out to be average players, with unremarkable careers in some cases. In other words, there is no guarantee of future success when buying players with high potential.
Another problem with this strategy has been the club-specific decision to stockpile young talents. This threatens the second part of the recruitment equation which is to provide a development path for these youngsters as the number of international loan spots is currently limited due to the new FIFA rules. This has meant that many bright talents like Cesare Casadei, Carney Chukwuemeka and Deivid Washington have not been able to secure loan moves away despite not being in the first-team plans which effectively is the club wasting the time of the supporters, who will have to wait a little longer for these talents to become consistent performers and deliver reliable success on the pitch.
Further faults that can be pointed out is the fact that the young players recruited are all at the same stage of their development and as such it is inevitable that some would have their development impeded by others. Consider this in contrast to what happens at Real Madrid where youngsters like Rodrygo, Eder Militao, Aurelien Tchouameni, Eduardo Camavinga and Vinicius Junior to name a few are being introduced into the team to grow under the shadow of more experienced stars like Karim Benzema, Toni Kroos and Luka Modric. Then they take over such roles after years of understudying the older players. In fairness to the new ownership, this may be what is planned in the latter years as the current team matures over time, but that remains to be seen.
While we can see that there are problems with this strategy, there have also been positives to come from it. The first that readily comes to mind are reports that the club slashed its wage bill by up to 70 percent. Also there has been the unearthing of incredible talents like Malo Gusto, Nicolas Jackson and Cole Palmer, who no Chelsea fan could have predicted the level of impact he has gone on to have. It is not inconceivable to think that Palmer today will cost double the price paid for him last summer if the club wants to sell. He is also gradually evolving into a player with superstar status in the mould of Didier Drogba, who is currently cited by almost every Chelsea target as an idol while growing up and the main attraction in them wanting to play for Chelsea. If Palmer continues in this way, it is not inconceivable to see the same effect – this time with younger players citing him – when the club tries to attract high quality players in the future.
Less than a week until the Blues are back in action 🥳
— The Chelsea Social (@TheChelsSocial) September 8, 2024
🎥 | @ChelseaFC #CFCSocial | #CFC
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Even after considering the pros and cons of the current approach, some questions remain unanswered: Is the club now a destination club or a selling club? In other words, does the club eventually retain and use the developed players in its quest to win trophies or does the club sell them for good profit? One piece of evidence that suggests the former may be the desired approach is the new contract offered to both Palmer and Jackson after their stellar debut seasons. It could be the case that as players demonstrate superstar ability on the field of play, the club will have no problem paying out superstar wages. This not only serves as motivation for the players to prove their worth on the pitch, but also helps the club when it wants to sell a player.
Another unanswered question is whether the project will eventually work. Former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel commented after the opening day defeat against Manchester City that the club always made sure to refresh the successful, star-studded Chelsea side he was a part of with even better players – and not high potential youngsters – to aid their continuous push for silverware every season. Can the strategy of replenishing the squad with highly talented youngsters produce the same effect? One thing is clear to all Chelsea fans, the club needs to start winning again. This season, the cup competitions provide a solid chance for the club to start winning silverware again. Also, qualification for the Champions League is non-negotiable as together with winning titles, this is important in attracting quality players in future to the club who will continue the cycle of winning and making the Chelsea brand even more attractive.
Ultimately, Chelsea fans will be wondering if this project can bring them long lasting success and domination on all fronts. Predictably, opinion is divided on this as while some are already of the opinion that the project is a failed experiment waiting to happen, others are more optimistic that the club will become the new Real Madrid in a few years’ time. Whichever way it turns out, they and the wider footballing world can only wait to see what eventually becomes of this bold and audacious project.
Written by: Somutochukwu (@the_somuto)
Edited by: Harrison Burridge (@hburridge2)
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