Although we do not yet know the identity of who will next own Chelsea Football Club, the rumours and speculation over key figures who will make up that new hierarchy certainly makes for interesting reading. And subsequently, the effects that will have on how the club approaches transfer windows moving forward.
Last week we got reports that all four of the shortlisted bidders by Raine want to keep current director Marina Granovskaia on board for the foreseeable future. By Friday morning, one of the bidders had fallen, the Ricketts Family ruling themselves out of the race.
The Todd Boehly consortium, the Sir Martin Broughton group and Stephen Pagliuca are left, with two of the trio also focusing on filling the vacated technical director position that has not been occupied since Michael Emenalo left the club in November 2017.
READ MORE: Who is Paul Mitchell? The ex-Tottenham recruitment expert being monitored by Chelsea and Man Utd
As reported by The Athletic on Monday morning, the name figuring prominently in preliminary conversations is Paul Mitchell. Two of the original quartet competing for Chelsea are believed to be closely monitoring Mitchell’s situation and could contact the Englishman if they take control.
Mitchell is currently the sporting director at Ligue 1 club AS Monaco, having ironically replaced Emenalo. His track record in the role with previous clubs is impressive. Having held senior positions at MK Dons, Southampton, Spurs and RB Leipzig before joining Monaco in June 2020.
Some of the names his expertise has uncovered over the past decade justify his impressive reputation. Either helping to recruit or recommend the likes of Nathaniel Clyne, Toby Alderweireld, Dele Alli, Son Heung-min, Kieran Trippier and Nordi Mukiele.
There is a general frustration with the way Chelsea has sloppily recruited players who do not adequately fit the system nor are able to prove an upgrade on previous options. The appointment of Mitchell would hopefully steer Chelsea in a game-changing direction, one where the money spent on targets places the system over the individual. Transfers will never be a guarantee but there is still a perception maybe Chelsea's sheer amount of wealth has allowed a sense of complacency to seep in.
I have recently written about why a sporting director is so key to Chelsea's transfer evolution under new ownership. The alignment of vision throughout the club, specifically between the coach and sporting director to identify players who best suit the style of the first team. Something that Chelsea's heavy investment under Roman Abramovich has not always got right.
With a coaching mind like Thomas Tuchel, who on Sunday took the Blues to his sixth cup final in only 15 months, getting the next step in recruitment will be vital to the German's hopes of greater success in the Premier League. With the post-Abramovich years likely to involve tighter purse strings, ensuring money is spent on the right players will become of even greater significance.
You look at the long-term benefits Manchester City gained from recruiting Txiki Begiristain before Pep Guardiola arrived or Michael Edwards alongside Jurgen Klopp. It is little surprise those aiming to takeover Chelsea are targeting their own success story.
