As Chelsea agrees with Manchester City for Raheem Sterling, fans have a reason to celebrate. This is the first signing of the summer window for the Blues, who have quite an extensive shopping list. Creeping towards the halfway point of July, Chelsea fans are not pleased having not made a single signing. Frustratingly, Thomas Tuchel's side has been linked to several players ahead of their preseason, but nothing has materialised as of yet.
Yes, the signing of Raheem Sterling is reportedly complete, but that is just one part of a complex puzzle in Chelsea's rebuild. An attacking signing was probably one of the last things to expect, especially because of the loss of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. Realistically the Blues are in desperate need of a defensive rebuild, so it's surprising to see a pool of uncertainty around their transfer targets.
Matthijs de Ligt, Jules Kounde, Joško Gvardiol, Nathan Ake, Kalidou Koulibaly, Presnel Kimpembe and Aymeric Laporte have all been linked to Chelsea this summer. As proactive as Todd Boehly has been throughout the window, it seems as though the Blues are not close to signing any of these targets any time soon.
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It's difficult to determine exactly what the issues are. With Matthijs de Ligt, he is currently wanting to hear from Bayern Munich only despite his interest in a Premier League move. Other than that, there are options with a price tag, but Chelsea have been taking their time to match them. There seems to be a lack of decisiveness within the camp, and there is nowhere to lay the blame, especially with Marina Granovskaia out of the picture.
Todd Boehly has made it clear that although Granovskaia will remain with Chelsea until the end of August, he would like Thomas Tuchel to be at the centre of all transfers. Essentially this gives the Chelsea manager a high amount of autonomy over the players that he signs in this transfer window, and it will likely be the case until Boehly finds a new sporting director. Michael Edwards is on the list of possibilities.
In a new era where things are being handled differently, it's difficult to not compare with the old ways. Would Chelsea's defensive issues have been solved by now if Roman Abramovich was still in charge, or if Marina Granovskaia had a major role to play in this? Is there a lack of movement because Chelsea have entered a new era, and their owner needs time to adjust to really get the best out of this market.
Speculation and unrest grow amongst the fan base as the pressure increases for Tuchel. Having been linked to several quality defenders, he will ultimately need to make a choice that works out for the best. Right now, the Blues are fixated on de Ligt and Ake. These are reportedly their first choice selections to replace Antonio Rudiger and Christensen. After a month of an open window, every decision will be scrutinised - hopefully, it works out for the best.
The Premier League commences in less than a month's time, and Tuchel is without a solid number of defenders in pre-season training. Cesar Azpiicueta and Marcos Alonso travelled with the team to Los Angeles for the pre-season tour but are tipped to join Christensen in Barcelona before the transfer window shuts. That's four defenders that Tuchel could be losing, yet Chelsea have not replaced a single one.
Let's see what Todd Boehly pulls out of the bag but it needs to happen fast with the first pre-season match now just a week away.
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