There was little doubting that the football world probably had a few raised eyebrows when soon after taking ownership of the club. Todd Boehly became interim sporting director, while Marina Granovskaia and Petr Cech departed from their roles. While Granovskaia's leave seemed to suggest the former Blues director would be available for the duration of the transfer window, it appears Boehly, along with co-owner Behdad Eghbali of Clearlake Capital, have taken control.
While some may question some of Chelsea's transfer business in recent times, with high fees paid for the likes of Kepa Arrizabalaga, Romelu Lukaku and a series of wingers who have not been able to leave the mark many would have hoped, Granovskaia was certainly respected in the industry. The 47-year-old was awarded the Best Club Director in European football award as recently as December 2021, was a formidable component of building Chelsea's success, and enjoyed a good relationship with Thomas Tuchel.
The move may only be temporary, but Boehly left himself with some large boots to fill. The US businessman quickly made his presence felt around Europe, meeting various directors and agents, and adding some significant players in Raheem Sterling and Kalidou Koulibaly. Those transfers have impressed, but his brief tenure has also seen some failures play out in public, as Jules Kounde, Raphinha and Matthijs de Ligt all opt for alternative destinations.
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The transfer window has not necessarily been polished, but business has been completed with more expected in the final weeks of August. The glitz and glamour of a potential record fee for a defender in the club's bid to land Wesley Fofana may dominate headlines, but Chelsea have other transfers to facilitate almost equal importance.
On the club's pre-season tour of the USA, Tuchel highlighted the disruption of working with players who perhaps saw their future elsewhere. The German coach criticised the mental commitment of players leaving and looking at their options. To a degree, it's a problem that still needs to be solved.
In many respects, the Blues still suffer a hangover from previous regimes not being able to bed players into the squad and not being able to move those who are unwanted on. The likes of Ross Barkley, Michy Batshuayi, Baba Rahman and Kenedy all appear unlikely to be involved in first-team action in 2022/23, and it's a familiar prospect from recent seasons.
Marcos Alonso hopes for a move to Barcelona, while Hakim Ziyech hoped for a move to AC Milan. There remain the uncertain situations over the likes of Billy Gilmour, Ethan Ampadu and Emerson Palmieri, who all wait to discover their role, having been left out of Tuchel's squad on the opening day against Everton.
While there is still a great deal of work to be done, Boehly has already had some success in these areas. Romelu Lukaku has returned to Inter Milan, while Matt Miazga was allowed to leave on a free transfer. More recently, Timo Werner and Malang Sarr departed for RB Leipzig and Monaco, respectively.
Werner's relationship with Tuchel had become fraught this summer, with the Blues boss not taking kindly to Werner, stating he could 'be happy anywhere'. A loss was taken after Chelsea landed the forward just two seasons ago, but business was done.
With more transfer still expected, Chelsea already have a squad that is beyond the limitations set by the Premier League. Cultivating one Tuchel can utilise on a week-by-week basis where players have a prospect of playing as a minimum will be a crucial step in succeeding.
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