No silverware, coming third in the Premier League last season with the same amount of draw games that Arsenal and Man Utd had. Last season ...
No silverware, coming third in the Premier League last season with the same amount of draw games that Arsenal and Man Utd had.
Last season began with the loaning out of Romelu Lukaku to Everton with Mourinho confident Samuel Eto'o, Ba and Fernando Torres, three players who have now departed the club, would be able to do the job.
Overhaul: Jose Mourinho completely changed his strike force with the exits of Torres, Eto'o and Ba |
The gap was clear from the league Champions and runner-up, Man City finished with 102 goals, Liverpool with 101 goals, and Chelsea 31 goals shy of City with 71 goals.
Their defence was solid conceding just 27 with but the goals came in few especially in games where they could win with a single goal. The Special One had a full season to evaluate his team and get his signings right, did he?
EXITS:
David Luiz to PSG for £50m, Romelu Lukaku to Everton £28m, Demba Ba- Beskitas £4.7m, Patrick van Aanholt- Sunderland, Ashley Cole- Roma, Sam Hutchinson- Sheffield Wednesday.
David Luiz became the most expensive defender in history after completing his 50million move to PSG |
Frank Lampard- New York City, George Cole & David Pappoe- Brighton & Hove Albion, Billy Clifford- Walsall and loaned out were Tomas Kalas to Cologne, Wallace to Vitesse Arnhem.
Thorgan Hazard to Borussia Monchengladbach, Bertrand Traore- Vitesse Arnhem, Cristain Cuevas- Club Universidad de Chile, Mario Pasalic- Elche, Ryan Bertrand- Southampton, Gael Kakuta- Rayo Vallecano.
Chelsea's all time highest goalscorer Frank Lampard departed after his contract expired |
John Swift- Rotherham, Oriol Romeu- Stuttgart, Kenneth Omeruo- Middlesbrough, Christain Atsu- Everton, Marko Marin- Fiorentina, Josh McEachran- Vitesse Arnhem, Victor Moses- Stoke, Fernando Torres and Marco van Ginkel- AC Milan, Nathaniel Chalobah- Burnley.
Kenneth Omeruo is among the 26 Chelsea players currently on loan |
With Samuel Eto'o, Henrique Hilario, Milan Lalkovic, Adam Nditi, and Jhon Pirez being released.
IN:
Diego Costa from Atletico Madrid for £35m, Cesc Fabregas from Barcelona with £30m.
Back Home: Drogba returned to his beloved Chelsea to be reunited with Mourinho |
Filipe Luis- Atletico Madrid £15.8m, Loic Remy- QPR £8.5m, Mario Pasalic- Hadjuk Split £2.4m and Didier Drogba from Galatasaray.
HIGHLIGHTS:
The three marquee signings by Chelsea. Costa (left) Fabregas (Middle) and Luiz (Right) |
The transfer market has always been about who is coming in and who is going out but the loan side of the business has always been forgotten.
Chelsea have loaned out players who can comfortably form a team and compete in the Coca-Cola championship and possibly get promoted and if Chelsea are truly sending these players with the hope of using them someday, with the amount of young players going out on loan gathering experience, Chelsea has an arsenal of talent for the coming years.
Prodigal son Cesc Fabregas is back to the Premier League after leaving Barca- the club he has always wanted to return to during his stay in Arsenal, and is a perfect replacement for club legend Frank Lampard.
Fabrepass! Cesc already has 4 assists to his name this season! |
The Spanish international has got good passing vision, has got goals in him, and was a burgeoning set-piece taker at Arsenal before his departure, in a highly inflated transfer market £30m is quite a steal.
Filipe Luiz was brought in as a replacement for Ashley Cole but £15.8m for him at 29 years given he cannot be viewed as long term is just the slight stain on this deal.
Filipe Luiz joined the Blues after a wonderful season with Spanish champions Atletico Madrid |
But he brings in more support than the left back position could muster last season and Azpilicueta could return to his more natural right side position, relationship with player Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois, coupled with the Brazilians in the squad would only ease his transition into the Premier League.
Mario Pasalic from Hadjuk Split was loaned out to Elche in Spain to get more experience under his belt with the 19 year old, who was part of the 30man Croatia provisional squad for the world cup, one for the future.
Next Generation: Pasalic (left) and Zouma are definitely ones for the future |
And there remains Loic Remy and Didier Drogba. The latter was so iconic in Chelsea that follow ups have failed to replicate his standards.
Legend: Didier Droga made his return to Chelsea this summer after leaving two years ago |
157 goals and 10 trophies he lived up to the king billing, he might not be the powerhouse he once wa and stands the chance of ruining his past history with this return but it is a necessary buy with all that experience. And to the former, fails his medicals at Liverpool but passes them at Chelsea, this is one of the best bargain signings.
Miracle Guy: Loic Remy reportedly failed a medical at Liverpool before signing for the Blues |
The Frenchman would give any team goals, has quick pace and is just the right man to have as contrast to bullying strikers Drogba and Costa, Chelsea would play lots of games this season and Mourinho hates losing but has priorities, who else is better to help win the lesser priorities when Costa gets the room service treatment?
KEY SIGNING:
Costa's strength and pace fits the premier league perfectly |
Powerful, Boisterous, Ebullient, and your mind would race to perhaps Andy Carrol but with an eye for goal with great technique as well- a blend of Dennis Bergkamp and Alan Shearer, Diego Costa is your man.
Diego Costa's double helped Chelsea demolish Everton last weekend |
The funny pictures flew about after Spain's horrible World Cup campaign, the 25 year old was unfairly made the scape goat of the national side's failure but as Del Bosque rightly put it, the team did not connect with him.
A complete forward.
The complete Forward: Pace, strength, power and aerial ability; Costa posses them all |
His myriad of abilities include being able to fend off defenders single-handedly or run in behind the back four and like Brendon Netto of Goal.com says
"He is not only about physicality and brute force, he is deceptively quick as well in addition to possessing a finishing touch that he does not get enough credit for."
His ability to keep hold of the ball as a target man and link creative midfielders has not gone unnoticed as one of his key strengths, in truth the influence him and Fabregas have had has kept Hazard a key figure from last season unnoticed this season, testimony to this, is the manner of goals he has scored this season, the link-up play.
Spanish duo Diego Costa and Fabregas have both combined well so far |
Four goals in three games is the best way to get running.
WORRIES:
Chelsea's few defenders might be a concern for the Londoners as the season progresses |
It is not all Hakuna Matata for the men at Stamford Bridge this season, they had the best defence in the league last season, they own the two of the finest goalkeepers in the world at the moment with Thibaut Courtois and Petr Cech but have grown thinner in the middle of the park with the loss of David Luiz to PSG and Kurt Zouma and Nathan Ake are still coming of age and might be exposed in the long run.
VERDICT:
So much has been made of Chelsea's spending in the past but the arrival of Fabregas and Costa cost a whole lot less than the sale of Lukaku and Luiz, how they were able to get £50m for the rash Brazilian is unbelievable given that Chelsea have always been the ones forking out large amount of cash.
Jose Mourinho was able to balance his cheque book with the the sale of Lukaku, Luiz and Ba |
Jose identified his weaknesses and tackled them spot on, replacing every crucial departure with an identical purchase except David Luiz.
GRADE: A+