Unlike most people in the sports media world, I am more than happy to admit when I’m wrong (especially considering it happens so often). And my take on Chelsea and their new owner, Todd Boehly, was one of those occasions.
When I heard that Boehly and his new scouts were looking at Raheem Sterling, Cristiano Ronaldo, Nathan Ake, and Declan Rice as potential transfer targets, I was sure he was yet another “Hollywood Buyer” type of owner.
I’m not trying to disrespect any of these players, as they are all great, but I only think one of them (Sterling, and maybe at that) has the ability to lift Chelsea into Premier League contending status. Instead, I thought Boehly was just going after these players because of their name value and high price tags that would get talked about in the media.
Thankfully, I was wrong. So far, only Raheem Sterling has been bought out of those four names, while the Blues have also signed Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, they have inquired over Barcelona’s Frenkie De Jong, and they are on the verge of signing Jules Kounde from Sevilla. All three of these players would be excellent signings for Chelsea and would easily make them title challengers next season.
First, the potential Koulibaly-Kounde partnership. Well, it is more like Kounde-Koulibaly-Thiago Silva center-back partnership. that’s the kind of backline you would see in FIFA, not in real life. If Chelsea are able to get this Kounde deal over the line, I can’t see how they aren’t the best defense in the Premier League come the start of the season.
Oh, did I forget to mention that they also already have Reece James, Trevor Chalobah, and Ben Chilwell. Can a defense get any better than that?
As for Sterling, I’m still a little skeptical as to whether he will fit into Thomas Tuchel’s system. The former Man City winger undoubtably has talent and far more experience than the rest of Chelsea’s winger options, but his poor “Big Chances Missed” stat (98 missed would-be-goals missed) is concerning.
He will not be getting the same service that Manchester City’s midfield generously proved him for these past eight years. It will be interesting to see if he will become the main goal-threat, with Lukaku heading back to Inter Milan, or will be yet another creative winger in Chelsea’s arsenal.
Hopefully, as a Manchester United fan, I they aren’t able to get Frenkie De Jong. But, in the case they do, Chelsea’s midfield would instantly become elite. A midfield trio of Kante, Jorginho, and De Jong would rival even Man City and Liverpool’s title-winning trios. And that’s saying a lot.
Still, Chelsea’s attack (specifically their strikers) is sketchy. Without a recognized striker (yes, Werner doesn’t count), Chelsea will find it difficult to compete with City and Liverpool’s attack and goal-volume throughout the year. Simply, they need to buy a striker, or rely on the combination of Sterling, Pulisic, Werner, Hudson-Odoi and Havertz.
Todd Boehly is proving me wrong with every new signing/transfer rumor Chelsea have been involved in. If you are a Chelsea fan, you should be super excited for the future.
Images Source: Featured Image:
