Chelsea’s transfer plans are likely to be heavily reliant on player sales again this summer — regardless of Roman Abramovich’s decision to take a step back.
The European champions have increasingly looked to follow a self- sustainable model, but their owner’s shock announcement over the weekend that he will hand over stewardship of the club has raised fresh questions over their ability to break the dominance of Manchester City and Liverpool at the top of the Premier League.
Thomas Tuchel has been promised backing at the end of the season, with the German head coach looking to strengthen in key areas after seeing Chelsea’s title bid falter.
Abramovich is still free to provide financial backing, having loaned the club £1.5billion since buying it in 2003. But it is understood that there is a will to continue on a path of self-sustainability, which will impact their spending power.
It also places more pressure on attempts to convince out-of-contract Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to commit their futures to the club, as Chelsea risk losing the defensive pair for nothing at the end of the season.
Transfer strategy was among the key questions raised by Abramovich’s announcement that he intends to hand over stewardship of the club to the trustees of Chelsea’s charitable foundation.
But Chelsea sources claim it does not need to have an immediate impact, with the club-record £97.5million signing of Romelu Lukaku last summer ultimately funded by the sales of a host of academy products.
Tammy Abraham, Kurt Zouma, Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi commanded a combined fee of £105.8m. There is the potential of cashing in on more home-grown talent this summer, with Armando Broja and Faustino Anjorin both being targeted by Southampton, among others.
There are also members of Tuchel’s current squad who face uncertain futures, with Timo Werner one potential big-name departure after failing to establish himself since his £45m move from RB Leipzig. Christian Pulisic and Hakim Ziyech are others who could be the subject of bids in the summer.
It was always Chelsea’s intention to back Tuchel in the market when the transfer window opens, with Abramovich convinced he is the man to challenge Pep Guardiola’s dominance after lifting the Champions League and Club World Cup in little over a year in charge.
There is also a feeling among the hierarchy that the race for the title would be significantly closer if not for injuries and Covid cases at a key point of the season.
But there is still an acceptance that improvements to the squad need to be made — and more top-quality recruits could be required if either or both of Rudiger and Christensen leave as free agents.
Jules Kounde is the leading defensive target, while cover for Reece James is wanted at right wing-back. Conor Gallagher will be included in the first-team squad once he returns from his loan at Crystal Palace and Broja could be seen as an option up front if money needs to be focused on other areas.
Declan Rice and Monaco’s Aurelien Tchouameni are both under consideration in midfield, but any move could be dependent on the departure of Jorginho, N’Golo Kante or Mateo Kovacic.
Abramovich’s spending has fluctuated since the spectacular transfer sprees during the early part of his ownership, with the club ensuring it complies with Uefa’s Financial Fair Play regulations.
But the £222m outlay on Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Edouard Mendy, Ziyech and Werner in the summer of 2020 marked a concerted effort to break the stronghold City and Liverpool have had on English football in recent years.
While Chelsea did not match that last summer, they still broke their club transfer record on Lukaku.
A major issue regarding funding is the matchday revenue produced at Stamford Bridge, which has the lowest capacity of any top-six team, although turnover was up from £407.4m to £434.9m according to latest figures. Only the impact of Covid and playing behind closed doors is said to have prevented the club from breaking the £500m mark.
Despite calls for Abramovich to be sanctioned following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, he has not been included on the list of oligarchs targeted by the UK Government so far.
Should that happen in the future, it would cast serious questions over Chelsea, with his decision to hand over stewardship not necessarily insulating them from any fallout if his assets were to be seized.
