In a discussion with some fellow Chelsea writers, we pondered why the narrative over Romelu Lukaku's £100m transfer to Stamford Bridge has been framed so negatively compared to Jack Grealish who by expectation, and had a pretty quiet season.
Lukaku was deemed an abject failure whilst Grealish's struggles were written off as merely growing pains, adapting to life under Pep Guardiola.
Of course, Grealish did not antagonise City fans doing a mid-season interview sharing his love for Aston Villa, but the different perspective does in some way reflect how far apart both clubs are in the Premier League.
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The way both deals were framed from the off were radically different. Grealish, albeit a record transfer for City, was not deemed a saviour to a struggling attack. He was not heralded as a missing piece of a jigsaw either. He was a very talented playmaker joining an already productive attack.
An attack that was not solely reliant on him performing from the off. Riyad Mahrez, Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling were City's top three scorers in 2021/22. Grealish came in ninth, below Rodri and Ilkay Gundogan. City won the league for the fourth time in five seasons, and their domestic dominance continued.
At Chelsea, the failure for Lukaku to adapt had pretty terrible consequences, one of which has forced the Blues to embarrassingly send the player back on loan to the club they bought him for. At City, the culture of consistent winning and the embedded system allows that room for adaptation.
This brings us to Matthijs de Ligt and his potential move from Juventus this summer. There is a high likelihood that whatever defensive target Chelsea sign, they will become the highest fee paid for a centre-back in the club's history.
De Ligt is likely to attract a fee beyond £60m, which in recent Chelsea history is pretty choppy waters. It's an environment that Chelsea have found very challenging to find great wins. Alvaro Morata, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Lukaku all come to mind.
When relating it back to Grealish, in defence De Ligt at 22 could have afforded to arrive with more stability. A defence that didn't need instant reinforcement or had lost two senior heads very recently. De Ligt would come in and be an instant starter. That is nothing new for the Dutch defender. He has been from an early age, leading his side for Ajax, becoming a regular for his nation and then for Juventus after a £67m move from Holland.
However, the space for him to adapt and get used to life at Stamford Bridge would not be as comfortable as a player arriving at Manchester City or Liverpool, who in recent years in several key areas have allowed major signings time to integrate, even spending the first few months on the bench.
Thomas Tuchel does not have that luxury, he needs players in and those players are very likely to feature on the opening weekend away at Everton, under the limelight at a ground Chelsea have endured some painful days over the past five years.
Supporters demand these signings come in and hit the ground running, but the intangibles play a part. The environment around them can be as defining as any formation they are asked to play in on the pitch.
The dream for Todd Boehly and Tuchel would be to build a productive and trusted squad that in the future could allow a major signing the room to breathe a bit, a luxury De Ligt, or any other major signing this summer is unlikely to get following a hectic summer window.
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