How Many Marquee Signings Should Chelsea Make This Summer?
Upon his return to Chelsea Football Club, Jose Mourinho was masterful in pinpointing his squad's faults. The 2014 summer transfer window—slightly muddled by World Cup duties—was undoubtedly won by the west London club.
Major departures from David Luiz (£40 million) and Romelu Lukaku (£28 million) morphed into marquee summer signings of Diego Costa (£32 million) and Cesc Fabregas (£27 million per The Telegraph's Matt Law).
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The Blues' balanced spending continued this winter; Andre Schurrle (£22 million) was sold to VfL Wolfsburg, while Colombian winger Juan Cuadrado (£26.1 million) began his Stamford Bridge career after two-and-a-half seasons at Fiorentina.
Chelsea's transfer business since Mourinho's second coming has targeted fragilities and been cost efficient, complying with UEFA's financial fair play (FFP) regulations.
Since the 2013/14 season, the Blues have spent £60.5 million net—resulting in 2014/15's domestic double. By comparison, Manchester United have spent £242.1 million net (in the same span), with zero major trophies to show.
Mourinho's outfit requires few upgrades. Premier League champions by a sizable distance, finding places to improve (without disrupting chemistry) is challenging.
Squad players were used sparingly in 2014/15.
Cuadrado, Filipe Luis, Kurt Zouma, Loic Remy and Petr Cech had 25 EPL starts between them. Mourinho was intent on winning the league and deployed his best XI as frequently as possible.
Next season should see squad players used more often—with two trophies now in his pocket, the 52-year-old could become experimentative.
To hint little change is needed, however, is not to suggest change is not imminent.
Manchester United, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool will shield no penny in an attempt to dethrone the west Londoners. Mourinho must, therefore, be willing to survey the transfer market and at least entertain the notion of signing marquee players.
But how many, and in what position(s)?
If Chelsea supporters could improve their starting XI, the transactions most frequently posited are Paul Pogba for Oscar, Gareth Bale for Willian and Raphael Varane for Gary Cahill.
The three Galactico-esque footballers would complement any team, and Chelsea would be delighted to include the trio in their ranks, but the nature of FFP will likely prevent multiple, large-money deals from transpiring.
If Abramovich's chequebook is required for any major purchase(s) this summer, the one "marquee" player who makes logical sense is Varane.
John Cross of the Mirror suggests the Blues are interested in the "£30-million plus" defender and for one compelling reason: The 22-year-old French international is unquestionably class. A former Mourinho player, the Portuguese should not hesitate to capture his former pupil if Madrid are shopping him.
Paired with Zouma, for both club and country, Varane could create—in theory—the most formidable defensive partnership in European football; any chance at creating the tandem at Stamford Bridge should be explored.
John Terry played one of his best seasons in a Chelsea shirt this season—and probably deserved a two-year contract extension on form—but the 34-year-old academy product cannot last forever, neither the 29-year-old Cahill.
World-class reinforcements are needed in defence. Zouma could play right-back or continue his midfield experiment while Terry and Cahill are phased out, but Varane at centre-half would substantially enhance Mourinho's miserly, Scrooge-like back four.
The ramifications of buying Bale or Pogba would likely mean selling a combination of in-house players to balance the books; depleting squad depth for one star is hardly worth the potential peril.
Chelsea need not reinvent the wheel. Only pertinent additions should arrive at London Heathrow: possibly a back-up goalkeeper for Petr Cech, a third striker for Didier Drogba and potentially a central defensive midfielder to add depth behind Nemanja Matic.
Other options exist in England's best youth academy and the loan system as well—Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Dominic Solanke, Isaiah Brown, Nathaniel Chalobah, Tomas Kalas and Patrick Bamford to name a few.
Though massive players are fun to plug in a fantastical 2015/16 starting XI, Chelsea cannot afford (nor do they need) to play fantasy football this summer. A comfortable champion domestically, there appears no reason to upset the applecart without provocation.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase.com where not noted.
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