SHOULD A POSSIBLE REDUCTION OF TRANSFER BAN RESULT IN ANY ALTERATION OF PLANS FOR CHELSEA?
Chelsea were hit with a transfer ban for two transfer windows earlier this year after they broke regulations in signing players under the age of 18. They were not allowed to sign any players in the summer transfer window, and as things stand the same applies for the next January transfer window as well. But the Blues believe that the ban will be reduced in time for them to be operational in the winter transfer window.
According to the Mirror, Chelsea have begun discussions with agents and have informed that they will most likely be doing business in January, and the report states that the London club will cite the case of Manchester City, who escaped a transfer ban this year, to the CAS.
The Blues appointed former player Frank Lampard as the manager of the club after the departure of Maurizio Sarri to Juventus at the end of the 2018-19 season.
The Blues have a depleted squad that lacks world-class players, barring players like N’Golo Kante, and will need a massive overhaul in the next few transfer windows. One of their big losses in the summer was Eden Hazard, who finally made the move to Real Madrid after dropping several hints over the last few seasons.
Lampard has trusted young players like Tammy Abraham and Mason Mount so far this season, who have delivered for him, but he will need to add better quality players and strengthen his squad all across the pitch for the club to dominate in England once again. But, signing a player in January is a risky move as players need time to settle into the team, which could be difficult without a proper pre-season.
Players also generally cost more in the January transfer window as selling clubs hike prices of their players as they know that the buying club are desperate to sign their player. Paying over the odds could disrupt the team – just ask Premier League rivals Manchester United, who have overpaid for several of their players and have found it tough to move them on when they have failed. Buying in January may also not cause a drastic improvement to a team; in fact, the opposite could happen as the disruption to the squad could trigger a spate of poor results.
Chelsea should instead wait till the summer transfer window, plan their purchases after extensive scouting, and give themselves ample time to negotiate and not have the wool pulled over their eyes by the selling club if they do not face any drastic injury crisis over the course of the next few months.
