Grading Chelsea on Their 2015 Summer Transfer Window Dealings
For those of you of a culinary persuasion, there's a new steak on the market: the Chelsea blue.
It comes as undercooked, cold and raw as you're likely to find anywhere—much like the Chelsea team this season.
Jose Mourinho's side have made the second-to-worst start to a title defence in Premier League history, with two defeats, one draw and a win leaving them in 13th place, eight points behind leaders Manchester City.
TOP NEWS
Madrid Fines Players $590K 😲
'Mbappé Out' Petition Gaining Steam 😳
Star-Studded World Cup Ad 🤩
That's not the concern, though; it's the abject way the club has conducted its business in the transfer window that raises eyebrows.
From a position of strength in May, Chelsea's business since that time has seen them regress to the point that there's a realistic argument to them competing more for a top-four finish than the title this year.
We're not talking in hindsight here, either. As the days turned into weeks this summer, it became clear Chelsea were heading into oblivion with a lack of movement to strengthen their squad.
Now the season is in full swing, performances have confirmed the worst fears of many.
A late start to pre-season has played a part in their sluggish start, but looking at the weaknesses throughout Mourinho's squad, there are big concerns for where it leaves them after the transfer window closed on Tuesday.
The misfortune of other clubs—notably Manchester United and the David De Gea debacle on deadline day—deflected some attention from Chelsea. When the club's board turn their focus a little closer to home, they should do so with a rising feeling of regret, however.
Chelsea have missed out on an opportunity. Big time.
Last season, they were the runaway champions of England, looking the country's most balanced and strongest side. With changes in midfield and defence, Chelsea had the potential to go on to the next level, which would have made them realistic Champions League contenders.
Now, failure to act has left them no better off than when Mourinho returned to the club in 2013.
Losing Petr Cech to Arsenal for £10 million was a blow; however, the goalkeeper's move has done more PR damage than it has the squad.
Cech featured just 16 times last season, which is about par for a back-up goalkeeper, given the number of games Chelsea play. Regardless of his talent and profile, that's what he had become at Stamford Bridge with the emergence of Thibaut Courtois.
Ask most Chelsea fans and the response is the same: they're more upset about selling Cech to a direct rival than they are with him actually leaving the club.
Bringing in Asmir Begovic means Chelsea remain strong in the goalkeeper department.
Indeed, any concerns on the contrary were alleviated with the Bosnian's superb performance in the 3-0 loss to Manchester City when he covered for the suspended Courtois.
With a lesser goalkeeper at the Etihad Stadium, Chelsea would have been beaten much more heavily.
Begovic cost Chelsea just £8 million from Stoke City, giving them a net profit of £2 million on the goalkeeper swap. It was good business, especially considering Cech is now 33 and Begovic is five years his junior.
That stands out as a small victory for Chelsea in the transfer window as elsewhere they largely failed to deliver.
Including Begovic, nine players joined Chelsea this summer. Of that number, Radamel Falcao, Kenedy, Baba Rahman, Pedro, Papy Djilobodji and Begovic are part of the first-team squad. Danilo Pantic and Nathan are on loan at Vitesse Arnhem, and Michael Hector was sent back to former club Reading for the season.
Where have Chelsea significantly strengthened? They haven't.
Aside from the capture of Pedro, the transfer policy has been more focused on replacing like for like and continuing the loan system whereby young players are signed and sent elsewhere to retain their market value as they gain experience.
Falcao has been Didier Drogba's replacement, with Rahman drafted in after Filipe Luis was sold back to Atletico Madrid.
For a club of Chelsea's size and ambition, they haven't done enough to strengthen—a factor hindered by an apparent refusal to trim the squad of its fringe players who offer little worth.
John Obi Mikel and Ramires somehow remain Chelsea players and, in the process, continue to block the pathway for the many rising academy talents.
Too quick to allow Izzy Brown and others to leave on loan, Chelsea haven't addressed the issue of having high earners such as Mikel and Ramires remaining on the books.
They're a financial drain as much as they are a hindrance on the squad. Given the number of games we can expect them to play this season, surely those minutes would be best served by a younger player as they continue to learn their trade and are integrated into the manager's system.
Chelsea should have cut their losses with Mikel and Ramires long ago. Now they're becoming a symbol of the mistakes Chelsea have made, a season-long reminder of why this team isn't going to retain the title and progress in Europe.
Beyond this season, denying younger players that squad position could damage Chelsea further still, prolonging the integration of any players deemed capable by Mourinho.
It's the same for Djilobodji.
The Senegalese defender has barely been at the club for 48 hours, yet already we've had it confirmed he was nothing more than a panic buy on transfer deadline day.
Chelsea couldn't get John Stones, so to make up the numbers, they settled for Djilobodji for £2.7 million.
You get what you pay for in this market.
Mourinho has since named his Champions League squad for the group stages, which Djilobodji is not part of, making it clear just how much we're going to see him in a Chelsea shirt.
Due to a lack of locally trained players, Chelsea's Champions League squad is two players short, too. Perhaps Andreas Christensen and another younger player could have been kept at the club to play their part in that.
Christensen's on loan, in case you're wondering.
Think back two years ago and Chelsea made a similar mistake with their pursuit of Wayne Rooney.
Mourinho chased the United front man all summer only to be rebuffed time and again by then-United boss David Moyes. When the season started, Fernando Torres and Demba Ba were the only recognised strikers at Stamford Bridge, with Romelu Lukaku already loaned to Everton.
Chelsea had put all their eggs in that proverbial one basket, and it backfired spectacularly. The result was the late signing of Samuel Eto'o—a has-been striker who was well past his former glories.
Losing out with Stones in similar fashion, Chelsea's lack of a suitable alternative has meant their defensive options are equally as weak in 2015 as their strikers were two years ago. And their younger players who were loaned out all too eagerly can't even benefit from it.
Eto'o wasn't the answer then, as Djilobodji isn't now.
In 2012, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville summed things up with this tweet:
Given the sight of Chelsea scrapping around for defensive cover this Tuesday and ending up with Djilobodji, we got an indication for where Chelsea are at.
Grading their summer transfer dealings? It's an F for failure.
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")
