Chelsea's new owners have been in place for four weeks now and Thomas Tuchel is still waiting with bated breath to discover the first addition to his squad. The Blues are set to return for pre-season training at the end of the week and thus far, no new bodies are set to be among their numbers.
Of course, Chelsea will be without their players who were on international duty and they are expected to join up with squad the following week, some in Los Angeles as the squad travel there for their pre-season tour. So there remains time for any new players to be folded into the squad before the Premier League begins against Everton in August.
Boehly has taken on the role of interim sporting director in the wake of Marina Granovskaia's departure and with Petr Cech departing at the end of the month, there will be plenty of responsibility lying on the American's shoulders. It is suggested the Chelsea legend chose to step down, despite Boehly asking for his help during the current transfer window. Granovskaia has made herself available to aid the transition.
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On his departure, Cech said: "I am pleased that the Club is now in an excellent position with the new owners, and I am confident of its future success both on and off the pitch."
Activity in the transfer market will go a long way to reassuring stakeholders that the former goalkeeper's words are accurate. football.london understands Chelsea are ready to make a bit for Raheem Sterling following Tuchel's discussions with the Manchester City star. Pep Guardiola's charge is keen to secure first-team football to ensure he can continue to develop, but even so a deal is unlikely to be completed in days.
While the delay in securing the first signing of the summer is causing plenty of tension in the fanbase, the Blues remain one of seven Premier League clubs not to have brought a new player into their first team. It has not been uncommon for Chelsea to have a new signing be made official for July 1st, though Tuchel had to wait around four weeks for a new player last season and the season had already started before Romelu Lukaku joined the ranks. In six of the last 10 seasons the Blues' have seen addition be made official by July 1st or earlier however. It's a tight window to hit that this time, but if things move quickly with Sterling, perhaps it can be hit.
2021/22 - Marcus Bettinelli 28th July
2020/21 - Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner July 1st (both agreed earlier).
2019/20 - Transfer embargo but Mateo Kovacic loan turned permanent July 1st.
2018/19 - Jorginho July 14th
2017/18 - Willy Caballero July 1st
2016/17 - Michy Batshuayi July 3rd.
2015/16 - Asmir Begovic July 13th
2014/15 - Cesc Fabregas June 13th
2013/14 - Andre Schurrle July 1st
2012/13 - Eden Hazard July 1st.
There remain plenty of caveats to Chelsea's current position, completing a takeover remains no small feat, particular when moves are required to transform the board and assess all areas of the business. However, as the days tick by in July, the pressure to make moves as Tuchel looks to rebuild his squad will increase significantly.
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