The last time Chelsea had an ambitious new owner, they made a statement of intent from the start. They signed Glen Johnson. Admittedly, Roman Abramovich’s expenditure went far beyond recruiting a young right-back from relegated West Ham. Chelsea spent over £100m in that summer of 2003, a time when it represented an astonishing figure.
Which, as the club itself only cost £140m, it did. Now, with Todd Boehly’s consortium having committed £4.25bn to their takeover, the equivalent might be spending £3bn this summer. Even Paris Saint-Germain may consider that extravagant. A considerable outlay is nonetheless expected. If American owners’ first task is to sound as different from the Glazers as possible, Boehly may have accomplished that. “We're all in – 100 per cent – every minute of every match,” he said. “Our vision as owners is clear: we want to make the fans proud.” That included “acquiring the best talent,” long a theme in the Abramovich years.
Boehly has acquired a club at a crossroads and not merely because of the sudden shift in ownership. Champions League winners a year ago, Chelsea feel in need of a rebuild now. Three months in limbo have altered everything, disrupting the defence, bringing a decline in results, suggesting their peers are Arsenal and Tottenham, not Liverpool and Manchester City. Thomas Tuchel has pronounced himself too busy to go on holiday and if that feels in character with his intense persona, it also underlines the number of issues that require addressing.
Rewind nine months and it almost became clichéd to describe Romelu Lukaku as the final piece in the jigsaw at Stamford Bridge. If the jigsaw then looked incomplete whenever Lukaku was inserted, it may represent the greatest failure of Tuchel’s time at Chelsea, but the puzzle also needs several more pieces now. The Belgian looks a stylistic mismatch and, for a club accustomed to making annual losses in the Abramovich era, another beckons; the supposed focal point in attack may have reached the point of no return. If a £98m forward goes, it will be for rather less. Inter’s interest in a reunion is apparent – “Certainly we have started laying the groundwork,” said CEO Beppe Moratta – but the probability is they will try and lowball Chelsea or loan Lukaku.
If a fundamental difference between Chelsea and the top two lay in goals, they could require a scorer as well as a method of scoring more. Tuchel will at least have Armando Broja back from loan at Southampton for an internal answer to the striking situation but the one shortcoming in his Blues sides has been the absence of anyone prolific.
And sanctions took a greater toll on the defence. An inability to commit to contracts cost them the services of Antonio Rudiger; the Real Madrid-bound talisman seemed likely to re-sign otherwise. With Andreas Christensen going and Barcelona seemingly strangely intent on recruiting as much of Tuchel’s defence as possible, in Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso, Chelsea have added reasons to regret funding the Lukaku deal by selling Marc Guehi and Fikayo Tomori last summer. Sevilla’s Jules Kounde, a target in 2021, is a likely addition in 2022, but even with the possibility of fast-tracking Levi Colwill, the chances are Tuchel would want another defensive addition.
The lost three months mean Chelsea suddenly have to accelerate decisions in other departments. The long-term priorities include securing the signatures of Mason Mount and Reece James on deals to make them cornerstones of the club for much of the 2020s but decisions suddenly beckon in the midfield. The Champions League-winning double act of N’Golo Kante and Jorginho are both in their thirties and both out of contract in 2023; it remains to be seen whether the Boehly regime share their predecessor’s reluctance to give lengthy deals to players over 30. Kante’s injury problems offer a reason to be cautious, and Manchester United’s apparent interest comes in the context of his contract situation, but Jorginho looks a likelier departure. Bringing back Conor Gallagher from loan at Crystal Palace would nonetheless entail a very different ethos in midfield.
With Saul Niguez definitely going, hints Christian Pulisic is restless and the reality that Kepa Arrizabalaga’s wages are scarcely commensurate with the status of a reserve-team goalkeeper, it leaves a club in a state of flux. The sizeable funds the new owners have promised could be required in most sections of the side. The Abramovich era spanned 19 years. The days of the first Tuchel team may be over by the time Boehly first witnesses a game in charge.
