10 Things We Learned from Chelsea's 2014 Summer Transfer Window
The summer transfer window closed this week, bringing to an end weeks of speculation and conjecture.
Managers and their clubs scrambled to get deals over the line on transfer deadline day, but at Stamford Bridge, Jose Mourinho had his feet up, safe in the knowledge Chelsea have everything they need to enjoy a successful campaign.
Indeed, it's been an impressive summer window for Chelsea. The club has been the transfer market's smooth operator, signing players early and building the squad with time to spare ahead of the new campaign.
What did we learn, though?
Bleacher Report takes a closer look.
Chelsea Came out the Winners
1 of 10
Chelsea have won their opening three games of the Premier League season to give them a perfect start to 2014/15.
They came out winners in the summer transfer market, also.
From doing the big business early, Jose Mourinho has had time to fine-tune his squad in pre-season and get everything in place to ensure the problems from last year are avoided.
It is still early days in the campaign, but the signs are good for Chelsea.
Diego Costa is scoring goals and Cesc Fabregas has settled into midfield.
From being a team missing vital components in 2013/14, Chelsea look the finished article.
As for their rivals, the same cannot be said. Manchester City will be strong, but Liverpool and Arsenal have weaknesses that we can expect to be exploited over the course of the season.
They never addressed them properly, either, making key signings late in the window, and in Arsenal's case, minutes before the transfer window closed.
The summer belongs to Chelsea and now they need to make sure the season does.
The Club's Policy Is Better Than Their Rivals
2 of 10
Even before the summer transfer window opened, Chelsea had their targets in mind and acted quickly before they lost them to other clubs who may have been interested.
Chelsea's policy this summer has been improved from what we've seen in years gone by, leaving Jose Mourinho to worry about football, rather than who is coming and going from his squad.
The manager has been focused on the training ground and already we're seeing the benefits of that.
It's not ideal to be signing players on transfer deadline day, especially when they will have a big role to play such as Danny Welbeck at Arsenal.
For much of the summer, it was clear Arsene Wenger needed an extra striker, yet he waited until the last moment before making his move.
In contrast, Chelsea's policy to get their work done early means they are ahead of their rivals in terms of shape, tactics and team unity.
Normally a club known for being unsettled at times—with constant managerial changes hardly helping the balance—there is a refreshing serenity at Stamford Bridge right now and it all comes from the club's revised approach to their transfer business.
Cesc Fabregas Was the Missing Link in Midfield...
3 of 10
Diego Costa's four goals this season have been impressive, but they have taken the focus away from the impact Cesc Fabregas has made since arriving from Barcelona.
We've heard it often said that Chelsea required a consistent goalscorer, but without a player of Fabregas' talents, it would still be difficult to score goals if the ammunition wasn't being supplied.
Fabregas has been doing that for his team-mates.
He was directly involved in all three goals against Burnley in Chelsea's opening game of 2014/15, also playing a role in goals against Leicester City and Everton—assisting Costa for the opener within 40 seconds at Goodison Park.
The Spaniard will be the player who gets Chelsea moving from deep this season, and above all else, that is going to be vital.
They have needed a player like him and now they have one.
...while Diego Costa Will Be the Difference Up Front
4 of 10
As we've already mentioned in the previous slide, Diego Costa has been on fire in front of goal for Chelsea this season.
There was an air of pessimism surrounding his signing, with the fear being another goalscorer on form would arrive at Stamford Bridge only to lose his touch in front of goal.
It hasn't been the case, Costa scoring four goals in his first three games.
He bullies defenders, is active off the ball with some excellent movement, and when given the chance, he rarely makes a mistake.
He will send fear through the Premier League, and with him leading the line, Chelsea have an aura about them that we haven't seen since Didier Drogba was in his prime.
The Policy to Loan Players Is Working
5 of 10
Come the end of 2013/14, Chelsea had 27 players on loan. This year it is 26.
It is a considerable number, but given what we're seeing at Stamford Bridge, it's difficult to criticise as the Blues are reaping the rewards.
The loan system is helping the club develop young talent, while also giving older players the opportunity of regular first-team football.
In pre-season we saw a number of youngsters such as Patrick Bamford flourish in Chelsea's early games, arriving back at the club better and more experienced for their loan spells.
Outside of Bamford and others, Thibaut Courtois is now Chelsea's No. 1 goalkeeper having spent three years on loan with Atletico Madrid.
From a business perspective, when Chelsea sell these loan players, they are making a profit, too.
In January, they sold Kevin De Bruyne for £18 million after the best part of two seasons on loan, while this summer the club made a £10 million profit on Romelu Lukaku when they sold him to Everton.
Lukaku had spent 2013/14 with the Toffees on the back of a year at West Bromwich Albion.
Fernando Torres Was Never Wanted by Jose Mourinho
6 of 10
For much of 2013/14, Jose Mourinho cut a frustrated figure when discussing his strikers.
With goals coming at a premium, he was never happy with the return of Fernando Torres, Samuel Eto'o and Demba Ba.
The latter two were released or sold early in the transfer window, with Torres joining AC Milan just a few days before it closed.
Mourinho has replaced his front three from last season in typically ruthless style, showing he never rated them in the first place.
Eto'o was signed more out of necessity than desire when Chelsea failed to land Wayne Rooney last summer, while Torres and Ba were inherited.
Torres never had the backing of his manager, a notion supported by his swift departure to Milan.
The feeling had always been a club making a suitable offer would result in Torres leaving and that's what happened.
It's probably best for all involved: Torres gets a fresh start in his career when he still has time on his side and Chelsea are able to move on from the constant headlines about his £50 million fee.
Petr Cech's Loyalty Runs Deep
7 of 10
For most players, being replaced by a young rival damages the ego enough that they swiftly demand a transfer out of their club.
Not Petr Cech.
The Chelsea legend has endured a tough start to 2014/15, with Thibaut Courtois being chosen over him as first-choice goalkeeper by Jose Mourinho.
Rather than reacting negatively and causing a scene, Cech has shown his loyalty to Chelsea by remaining tight-lipped and not departing Stamford Bridge.
Like the rest of the football world, Cech knows he is still capable of being Chelsea's No. 1. He also knows he has the ability to be first choice at most major clubs across Europe.
That hasn't rattled him, though. He has shown his support for Courtois and, in many ways, led by example, behaving with the dignity and class many of his fellow professionals could learn from.
Youth-Team Players Will Be Given a Chance by Jose Mourinho
8 of 10
Having touched upon how the loan system is helping Chelsea develop their young stars, this summer has also shown Jose Mourinho is eager to give them an opportunity in the first team.
The likes of Izzy Brown, Lewis Baker and Dominic Solanke enjoyed plenty of game time in the early stages of pre-season, and the expectation was that, as the World Cup stars returned, they would go back to youth team duties.
It was quite the opposite as Mourinho kept them involved, still playing them in a bid to embed the youngsters into his squad.
It's a process that is ongoing and will take time, but more than ever Mourinho is showing his eagerness to blood the youngsters and give youth a chance.
This summer was the first sign of that, and by not allowing Brown, Solanke and Baker to go out on loan, we may well see them on first-team duty sooner than we think.
Times Have Well and Truly Changed at Chelsea
9 of 10
When Roman Abramovich first took over at Chelsea in 2004, the club's summer losses were in the hundreds of millions as they set out to buy the world's finest talent.
A decade on and the culture has changed dramatically.
Chelsea are still keen on acquiring the finest talent, yet they're doing things differently these days.
They recorded an impressive £10.6 million profit in the January transfer window when they sold Juan Mata and Kevin De Bruyne, signing Nemanja Matic, Kurt Zouma and Mohamed Salah.
And this summer, despite the signings of Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Loic Remy, Filipe Luis and youngster Mario Pasalic, they've still come out better off to the tune of around £3 million.
It's an impressive feat. Chelsea look stronger, yet they are making money in the process.
The sale of David Luiz for £50 million and Romelu Lukaku for £28 million has helped considerably, yet the business acumen is there to see.
More transfer windows like this and the Blues will have an even more formidable look about them.
Reputations Count for Nothing at Stamford Bridge
10 of 10
Managers are often at pains to stress that reputations count for very little in their dressing room.
It's a tactic attempting to keep the big stars on their toes and avoid complacency.
Well, Jose Mourinho has put it into practice this summer.
Frank Lampard and Ashley Cole have both left Stamford Bridge, not being offered new deals to stay despite their legendary status in west London.
David Luiz, ever a popular figure with fans, was also shown the door, while Petr Cech has been dropped as Chelsea's No. 1 goalkeeper.
Mourinho has been revamping his squad without emotion, turning his back on his former lieutenants in order to bring success back to Chelsea.
It would have been difficult for him to see Cole and Lampard to leave, such is their relationship, but it was a decision he had to make and one the manager didn't shy away from.
Heroes or not, if players can't produce the goods for Chelsea, it's only a matter of time before they leave.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
