Online Reporter
CHELSEA have enjoyed a window full of arrivals and outgoings — but still have to do more to address their bloated squad.
The arrival of Morgan Rogers for a British-record fee was a statement of intent and brings a versatile and lethal forward to Xabi Alonso‘s side.
Moves for Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck might be less glamorous, but they add a vital element of experience and leadership to the dressing room. But that cohesion could be undermined if too many surplus players struggle to get minutes and stagnate.
Here is SunSport reporter Dan King’s verdict on the Blues’ transfer window so far…
KEY SIGNING
MORGAN ROGERS is the obvious answer — but Jordan Henderson could prove just as important. A £117million move from Aston Villa made Rogers, 24, the most expensive British player ever.
And giving up Champions League football for at least a year was a big statement about where the England forward sees Chelsea’s potential.
If he can live up to his price tag — and shine as one of the No 10s in Xabi Alonso’s 3-4-2-1 system — the Blues’ hopes of rejoining Europe’s elite can only benefit. The arrival of Henderson, 36, is less popular — partly due to his Liverpool background. But Blues bosses hope the England midfielder and fellow veteran Danny Welbeck, 35, can provide much-needed experience and leadership.
Henderson is likely to be the standard-bearer both in training and on matchday.
If he can help reduce Chelsea’s indiscipline and habit of folding under pressure, he will be worth his weight in gold.
WHAT’S MISSING OR STILL NEEDS TO BE DONE?
You can never rule out Chelsea signing players — but the emphasis is on getting bodies out of the door. Having 40-odd senior players is way too many ahead of a campaign without European football, so it is no wonder around a dozen are training away from Alonso’s main group. But they may have to compromise on some of their price tags. Not even Saudi side Al-Hilal are going to pay nearly £100m for Pedro Neto, while the £65m they want for Nicolas Jackson and £40m for Liam Delap are also a stretch. They will attempt to loan out the unwanted players they cannot sell — as they have with £40m flop Alejandro Garnacho.
The biggest decision is whether to sell Enzo Fernandez with Manchester City refusing to stump up £120m. The Blues must balance the Argentinian’s quality with the downsides of keeping someone against their will.
VERDICT
The amount of money spent and the identity of some recruits has been impressive for a club unable to offer any European football.
The Rogers signing feels like the kind of marquee name you want to kick off a new era with — and there is much-needed experience.
With Alonso favouring the setup which brought him success at Bayer Leverkusen, wing-backs Pep Chavarria and Marco Palestra have arrived.
France defender Maxence Lacroix brings quality and Prem experience.
Despite selling Trevoh Chalobah, Marc Cucurella, Tyrique George and Andrey Santos, the Blues remain over £200m in the red this summer.
So the emphasis now is on selling — and selling well. —Sun.
