Unsurprisingly, following The Times's report on Tuesday morning that Tottenham had agreed on a £25m deal for Brighton midfielder Yves Bissouma, some Chelsea minds were already growing with frustration that another potential target had slipped through the club's fingers.
I have already written about how perceived inactivity does not always equate to actual inactivity, and in this case, the lack of reported interest from Chelsea in Bissouma should lessen any simmering fury.
Bissouma has certainly impressed at the AMEX but losing out on him is nowhere near the blunder of waiting a year to sign Aurelien Tchouameni, just announced as a Real Madrid player.
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The midfield situation is a particularly complex one for the club in an already tricky summer. With Tchouameni off the table and other potential options like Bissouma being bought too, the obvious name of Declan Rice remains the clear first choice as he has been for several windows.
But should that deal be out of reach, an early contract choice under Todd Boehly could offer Thomas Tuchel a quick alternative that may have fallen under the radar over the past nine months.
On Monday afternoon, Chelsea confirmed they had exercised an option to extend Billy Gilmour's contract, keeping him at Stamford Bridge until 2024. The 21-year-old was on loan at Norwich for the duration of the 2021/22 season and struggled to make the desired impact.
Out of all the loan moves last summer, Gilmour was the highest-profile. Coming off a standout display for his nation at the European Championships against England and more encouragement in sporadic appearances under Tuchel, the loan to Norwich felt like the best move for both parties.
A series of events burnt that dream quickly. Daniel Farke was sacked in November, Norwich were destined for a return to the Championship before Christmas, and Gilmour struggled to alter the downward spiral, unable to rely on better players around him.
In reflection, you could deem the move a mistake and a waste of a season for developing talent. However, there is another way of looking at this. Adversity is an important part of players' growth, and as has been seen with other loanees in recent years, a "bad loan" does not necessarily have to be reflected as entirely negative to that player's development should it help them mature.
Gilmour is in a weird place. Even before going to Carrow Road last year, he had already shown his quality in a Chelsea shirt against top opposition. But given senior heads like Jorginho, N'Golo Kante, and Mateo Kovacic remained, getting more guaranteed minutes felt like a better option than being a fringe figure.
This summer, there is a hope Gilmour will be one of a number of returning talent who have come through the academy that will be given a chance to impress Tuchel over pre-season.
Under both Frank Lampard in 2019/20 and Tuchel in 2020/21, the Scottish midfielder showcased his ability to influence a team aiming to control possession and compete with maturity against England's top two teams.
This summer, an internal solution to a complex midfield issue could come from Gilmour being promoted rather than another loan.
