It was remarkable that a squad without the addition of a senior midfielder in four years got to the final weeks of a transfer window without trying to address the problem.
Did Chelsea think that the deal for Frenkie de Jong was more likely to get done than it actually was? The stand-off with Barcelona never looked entirely promising, and there weren't names sprawling out of the club as back-ups, De Jong or bust for now, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice next summer.
The issue is that to get to next summer you need to cross a grand chasm. A 50-odd game long season with a winter World Cup and increased strain on the centre of the pitch. Come 2023 and it'll be five years since a senior first team midfielder has been signed on a permanent deal.
