What Does the Future Hold for Loic Remy at Chelsea?
Like much of the footballing fraternity, Loic Remy won't be kicking a ball this summer.
Yet it's going to be the biggest of his career.
The wheels that will decide how his Chelsea career will be defined are already in motion. Will he be a one-season man, or will the Frenchman remain at Chelsea and succeed.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
Chelsea are the Premier League champions, yet Jose Mourinho has bigger plans than simply overseeing a successful defence of their title next season.
The FA Cup and Champions League are missing from the trophy cabinet, and if we're to see progress at Stamford Bridge, delivering those trophies—particularly the latter—will be paramount.
It's why Chelsea haven't been too far from the transfer rumours doing the rounds.
The Blues may not be making big signings in terms of numbers, yet the names they bring in will make up for that. As ever, they're going to be big players.
And that isn't good news for Remy, especially with Mourinho seemingly so eager to bring Radamel Falcao to west London.
Chelsea were strongly linked with the Colombian before he opted to join Monaco from Atletico Madrid in 2013.
Now those headlines are being repeated, with the Chelsea manager seemingly only too eager to fan the flames.
"If I can help Falcao reach his level again, I will do it," Mourinho told DirecTV Sports this week (h/t BBC Sport). "It hurts me that people in England think that the real Falcao is the one we saw at Manchester United."
If we're judging by his comments, Mourinho certainly has his heart set on snapping Falcao up. There's an element of ego attached to it, with Mourinho aiming to achieve what his mentor, Louis van Gaal, couldn't with the striker.
An equally big part will also be what an in-form Falcao could give Chelsea.
Quite where that leaves Remy is unclear regardless of the more recent indication in the Evening Standard that Falcao's £265,000-per-week salary would be a major stumbling block to any deal being done.
The move for Falcao means Mourinho has shown his cards early this summer.
To a certain degree, the Chelsea boss has been satisfied with focusing on other areas of his squad during his first two seasons back in England.
The first year was about finding more balance, weeding out those players who didn't fit into his system. The second was about strengthening in key areas, such as defence and midfield.
All the while, he lamented a lack of true forward talent. Now, Mourinho's on a mission to give Chelsea the firepower they have missed—and plenty of it.
That started with the capture of Diego Costa this time last year, and the move for Falcao tells us Mourinho isn't stopping there.
Competing with an ageing Didier Drogba was one thing for Remy; facing off with other strikers still in their prime is quite another, especially when said striker has the reputation Falcao carries.
It's been awful 18 months for Falcao. A knee injury robbed him of a place in Colombia's squad for the 2014 World Cup and he looked out of his depth on loan at Manchester United.
Questions hang over him now. Has injury finished him as a top-tier striker? Did the move to the Premier League come too early in his rehabilitation?
We can assume Mourinho deems it to be the latter, with his grand plan determining Chelsea to be the beneficiaries of United's toils with the striker last season.
If Falcao does arrive, it would immediately knock Remy down the pecking order at Stamford Bridge.
Like Falcao, the Frenchman had his own fitness struggles last season. Just as it seemed he was ready to lead the attack in Diego Costa's absence, groin and calf injuries curtailed his progress.
When Mourinho needed Remy most, he wasn't there for him. While he was crocked, a veteran had to lead the line, which meant Chelsea stumbled their way to the title despite that eight-point cushion they finished up with over Manchester City in second.
Remy did bag important goals against Hull City and Stoke City, although he wasn't reliable enough for Mourinho to put considerable faith in him for next season.
His fitness was his biggest fault, and as such, it doesn't allow Mourinho to sit comfortably. Given Costa's hamstring troubles, the Chelsea manager can't afford to go through another campaign with two strikers constantly being nursed.
If this team is to achieve anything beyond their 2014/15 success, that's top of the list of priorities.
Fit strikers change the entire complexion of a squad. They give the team a focal point for one and bring an element of consistency and understanding.
The best Chelsea performances in the past 12 months have come when Mourinho was able to consistently name his best 18 for his matchday squads.
As we approached the end of the campaign, Mourinho too often turned to his bench and saw that he lacked players capable of impacting games.
The numbers at his disposal seemed to be whittling by the week. Already fatigued players were being pushed to their limits as the same old faces were required to score the big goals that defined the big moments of the season.
Mourinho is a manager famed for his ability to impact games throughout the course of 90 minutes. He belittles the notion that a manager's job is done the moment the referee blows his whistle for kick-off.
Game management may fall upon his players at that time, but Mourinho has a history of keeping himself involved. He tweaks tactics, revises his approach and, through his substitutes, influences proceedings at key times.
For 2015/16, it's that quality he must rediscover at Chelsea.
It wasn't just injuries to his front line that hampered that—Oscar's loss of form was a significant factor, as was Juan Cuadrado's inability to adapt to the English game.
Strikers are a big part of winning trophies, though. It's why they come at a premium, and as Remy relaxes on a beach this summer, looking out over the horizon, he'll be wise to ponder what lies ahead for him.
It might not be dibs on playing the part of Costa's back-up that he is fighting for; it could be his Chelsea career.
Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes
.jpg?w=600 "Colts Release Kenny Moore")
