There has always been an excuse for why Chelsea's defensive contract crisis has unfolded this season.
Be that the reality both Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger showed levels of form after Thomas Tuchel's appointment that they had not before. The fact that both had rejected offers from the club, in the case of Rudiger – the last being worth £230,000-per-week according to The Athletic.
That they were messed around, the sanctions that have halted all transfer dealings in the past month. The sales of Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi in 2021, two younger options, were sold due to other circumstances out of the club's control. These are all infantile excuses, that continually ask us to believe a club of Chelsea's wealth and excellence could not foresee this defensive crisis unfolding. And if they couldn't, why not?
