Timo Werner is out. No, he's not just edged one to slip, he's departing Chelsea and there are many more to follow in his direction and there needs to be.
The Blues are still trying to get rid of a large group of players that have gone past their sell-by dates and use-by dates. In Hakim Ziyech, Ross Barkley and Marcos Alonso they have three players that have unperformed for too much of, or all, of their Chelsea careers and used up too much of the club's money in the meantime, but with Todd Boehly it all needs to change.
It's still too soon to spot many trends that could impact the long-term future of the team, be it structural or playing-wise, but there are decisions being made by the new owners now that won't be as easy in the coming years. For example, are people more business savvy likely to split with assets as expensive as Werner so easily if they had been purchased with their own money? Perhaps not.
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Now is the best time for the rebuild. Boehly has a perfect storm - bad in some ways but good in others - and in the midst of it, he can sell off the gloomy darkside to Roman Abramovich's late Chelsea tenure. The squad buys, panic purchases and underuse of any long-term thinking.
In Boehly they have not only a good money man but a true pioneer of sporting success, to varying degrees, in America and his comfort in selling players that he has little ties too is key this window. If it's Raheem Sterling in a similar spot in three years time then the conversation might not be as straightforward.
There are also short-term benefits to this though. Whereas Tuchel now doesn't have to deal with players that he has little intention of using, he can also look to Boehly and begin the internal changes now. Werner was the second-highest earner at Chelsea and took up £272,000 per week in wages. He was meant to be the start of the new Frank Lampard era, combining youth and excellence, instead, he became an example of all that was wrong.
But he can now also be the perfect spotlight for where Boehly will be right.
Chelsea have already made their intentions clear on offering Mason Mount and Reece James new contracts. Not only to fend off interest from Europe's praying elite but also as a reward for their consistent excellence. Despite the key duo being two of the club's best and most important players, they could be paid nearly twice over for just one week of Werner. It's a frankly ludicrous situation to be in.
It could be coming to an end though. The club are now looking to offer Edouard Mendy his own new deal, says Simon Johnson of the Athletic. There are still three years left on the current deal for Mendy, who is entering his third season at the club, but he is currently being paid less than Emerson, Barkley, Baba Rahman, Michy Batshuayi and Malang Sarr.
The Senegalese stopper has had some questions about his form over the past six months but there is still no doubt that he is worthy of being better off financially in the Chelsea system.
If Boehly is to put actions to his words then rewarding those that deserve it should be near the top of his to-do list, and the example of Werner will be one that is looked back on as a catalyst for change.
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