There have been some incredible transfers this summer. Lionel Messi to PSG, Jadon Sancho to Manchester United and Jack Grealish to Manchester City are three of the most prominent players in a summer in which Europe’s biggest clubs are looking to change their packages.
Besides Messi, PSG have done some really remarkable business this summer, adding Gigi Donnarumma, Sergio Ramos and Gini Wijnaldum without paying a single dollar in transfer fees. But almost as impressive has been the foray into the transfer window of Champions League champion Chelsea.
An awesome summer for the blues.
While they are regularly accused of frivolous spending backed by their Russian oligarchic owner Roman Abramovich, their dealings under German boss Thomas Tuchel appear to be shrewd and measured. The permanent departure of fringe players like Tammy Abraham, Fikayo Tomori, Victor Moses and Olivier Giroud has generated a tidy € 75 million for the west London club, with several others on loan to reduce competition for spots.
But most impressive, these transfers paved the way for the arrival of Belgian superstar Romelu Lukaku, who returned to Stamford Bridge for a hefty € 115 million fee. But when you take into account the fact that Chelsea’s net spending this season was less than € 40 million, you cannot be more than impressed by the transfers of the summer.
The club’s lower income has seen some transfer fees drop as players return to normal life outside of soccer’s huge transfer fees. Unfortunately, things are unlikely to change over the next few months or possibly longer, as the new variants force governments to limit who visits matches, thereby lowering entrance fees. One of the main ways that clubs have raised funds is through sponsorship with betting sites and companies like the ones listed here distributing their funds between clubs, Chelsea, for example, recently signed a business agreement with Parimatch, without certainly providing some much-needed funds to run the club.
As the season progresses, Chelsea are likely to turn their business strategies around to increase revenue and build their war chest for future player signings. As with many other premier league clubs, Chelsea will likely be looking to improve their live streaming deals with television stations as fewer people feel comfortable watching matches in person due to the ever-present covid threat. 2020 was a disastrous year for football clubs across the UK as virtually all games were closed to fans for most of the year, and this continued until the end of 2023 as clubs chose to post the public health before earnings.
Unfortunately, despite great efforts and an abundance of vaccines, the Covid 19 numbers have risen in the run-up to Christmas, and it looks like more restrictions are likely to come into the beautiful game.
The return of the King.
When Lukaku left Chelsea in 2014 for Everton, he did so with his tail between his legs. Despite impressive Premier League loan spells at West Bromwich Albion and Everton, where he scored a plethora of goals, he was unable to persuade José Mourinho that he would be able to realize his full potential. But five successful years at Everton and Manchester United proved the Portuguese manager wrong before Lukaku joined Inter Milan in 2019.
And while Lukaku was unplayable at times during his tenure at Old Trafford, fans were sometimes frustrated by his lack of composure in front of goal and felt it was not yet the finished item. He played under Antonio Conte at Inter Milan, and in a team hoping to win its first Scudetto since 2010, great emphasis was placed on the developing shoulders of the powerful Belgian.
Anyone who has seen Lukaku during his two seasons at Inter will tell you that he was the focal point of a talented team and spearheaded their attacks alongside the talented Lautaro Martínez. As Inter were crowned champions in Lukaku’s second season, it was clear that they were the undisputed king of Serie A, although Zlatan Ibrahimović would probably tell you otherwise! And his rise to prominence in Italy was enough to convince Tuchel that Lukaku was everything José Mourinho thought he couldn’t be: the perfect striker to fill the void left by club legend Didier Drogba.
The last piece of Tuchel’s puzzle.
When Frank Lampard was appointed Chelsea’s new manager in early 2019, few fans could imagine that the legend would be ignominiously dismissed in the same way as many of his predecessors. But since Abramovich arrived at the Bridge, his ruthless approach to appointing and firing managers has no room for affection. And while Lampard brought some young and exciting players to the first team (notably Mason Mount), his lack of experience on the bench and poor results on the field quickly ended his tenure as manager at the club.
When he was replaced by progressive German coach Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea fans weren’t totally convinced. After all, Tuchel had failed to hand over the elusive Champions League crown to PSG, despite having a wealth of riches at his disposal. And while additions to his team such as Edouard Mendy, Timo Werner and Kai Havertz have improved Chelsea to no end and contributed greatly to their Champions League victory last season, there has long been a huge void at the number position. nine on the bridge.
And in Romelu Lukaku, Tuchel will be almost certain that he has finally found the ready-to-use replacement for Didier Drogba. As much as players like Diego Costa, Olivier Giroud and Gonzalo Higuaín tried, they could not replace the Ivorian talisman. But given Lukaku’s pedigree, his ability to score goals and the fact that he has a point to prove, Tuchel will be happy that he has found the final part of his puzzle and hopes to mount a serious challenge for the Premier League title this week. season.
