It is still relatively early. There is still a month before the Premier League begins again. There is plenty of time for a club to make signings. Chelsea began from a position of unusual chaos. There is no reason to panic yet. It might all be fine. But equally it may not and it’s fair to say that if you’re planning a major overhaul of your squad, it’s easier if you haven’t just lost a load of leading figures from the recruitment department.
Perhaps it is unreasonable to expect too much this summer, so soon after the removal of Roman Abramovich. Todd Boehly didn’t formally complete his takeover until 30 May. As others began to land long-term targets, Chelsea began to shed executives. Bruce Buck stood down as chairman, Petr Cech left his role as technical and performance adviser and, perhaps most significant of all, Marina Granovskaia, who had in effect run the club for Abramovich, resigned. None of that was particularly alarming – indeed it may have been a necessary part of the club’s de-Abramovichisation – but it has made recruitment more difficult.
