Chelsea's Reported Emmnauel Adebayor Interest Marks the Start of 'Silly Season'

There isn't an official date in the calendar for when transfer silly season starts, but now the clocks have gone forward, we may already be there.

With longer days to fill, it seems as good a time as any.

Among the many rumours that will be associated with Chelsea in the coming weeks and months before Sky Sports gets giddy with transfer deadline day, few will top the news Emmanuel Adebayor is on his way to Stamford Bridge this summer.

Or at least Chelsea fans will be hoping so.

It seems daft in the extreme. Adebayor is an outcast at White Hart Lane, and quite what he can give Jose Mourinho, other than a headache, is unclear.

That may be the case, but it hasn't stopped the Guardian's transfer rumour mill linking him with a move to Stamford Bridge.

Mourinho worked alongside the Togolese striker for a brief loan spell at the Bernabeu during his time as Real Madrid manager. Adebayor seemed to flourish, too, scoring seven goals in 21 games.

Indeed, he even bagged a brace in a Champions League encounter with current employers Tottenham Hotspur.

But this was all in 2011.

In the four years since, Adebayor has done much more than just age. He's 31 now, and as he has shown at Spurs, his days at the top are behind him.

Adebayor's a player we should be seeing teams at the bottom of the Premier League taking a gamble on, not those chasing titles.

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His attitude continues to be a problem wherever he travels, and whereas he could get away with it in the past, he no longer contributes enough for managers to humour him.

What's in it for them? Nothing. It would be the same answer were Adebayor to move to Chelsea.

With the club's revised transfer policy, Chelsea are getting far more positive headlines for the way they conduct their business these days. The club operates in a profit and the hierarchy has done well to weed out the high earners who contributed little.

Adebayor reportedly earns £100,000 per week at Spurs, so he certainly falls into that category given he last started a game in January when Mauricio Pochettino's side faced Sheffield United in the Capital One Cup.

You have to go even further back to Oct. 26 for his last goal, coming against Newcastle United.

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Quite why Spurs didn't allow him to join West Ham United when they had the chance (per BBC Sport) in the winter transfer window is puzzling.

Adebayor is an expensive problem for Daniel Levy, so why should Chelsea make him theirs?

They shouldn't, especially when they have Patrick Bamford on loan at Middlesbrough.

The young Englishman is scoring goals and seemingly chomping at the bit for his chance to prove his talent on the biggest stage.

Whether he makes it or not remains to be seen, but it can't be denied he deserves an opportunity.

The theory is that Adebayor will provide back-up to Diego Costa given the expected retirement of Didier Drogba this summer.

With Loic Remy on the scene—a better player than Adebayor, it must be said—that makes the ex-Arsenal and Manchester City striker third choice.

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What third-choice striker earns the money Adebayor does and comes with that baggage? Very few, if any.

It's the likes of Bamford and Dominic Solanke who should be taking that role, easing their way into Mourinho's squad, experiencing the glare of the spotlight that comes with being a Chelsea player.

Young talent flourishes in cup games and dead-rubber fixtures. With Adebayor on the scene, it'll be him making up the numbers in those games.

Does he deserve that chance? No. He's had plenty, and unfortunately for him, he's thrown them all away.

The transfer window is dubbed "silly season" for a reason. Chelsea need to ensure they don't become the same punchline.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes