However, now the momentum has swung: for seven years Chelsea could outspend anyone in the Premier League – and did – yet now Manchester City are outspending them and they possess the highest wage bill in the Premier League. Again, it is no surprise they are Champions.
Yet, capitalising on their Champions League success, Chelsea are striking first this summer and are striking in the right direction, purchasing players that average an age of 20.75 years old: Thorgen Hazard (19), Oscar (20), Eden Hazard (20) & Marko Marin (23). Furthermore, all four signings go straight to the heart of the problem – the sometimes degenerate Chelsea midfield. Considering they last year purchased Romelu Lukaku (19), Thibaut Courtois (20), Juan Manuel Mata (24) and Kevin De Bruyne (21), last year’s aging Chelsea could very quickly become this year’s youthful Chelsea. Stealing Hazard from under the noses of Manchester City may further signal at another twist in the power struggle at the top of the Premier League and between the two mega-rich oil oligarchies and 18 year old Lucas Piazon may just prove to be another surprise package next season, featuring in three of Chelsea’s four preseason games to date, scoring one in the process.
With Wigan striker Victor Moses, Shakhtar Donestk midfielder Willian and Marseille right-back Cesar Azpilicueta all strongly linked with a move to Stamford Bridge too, even if they don’t move to London, it signifies that Chelsea are still not content, despite a £65m summer spending spree.
Their preseason fixtures to date have been of a mixed outcome. Having won 1, drawn 1 and lost 2 (in that order), momentum is hardly being gathered for the start of the new season. However, with Oscar and Juan Manuel Mata on Olympic duty anyway, alongside Oriel Romeu, Daniel Sturridge and Ryan Bertrand, expect most of the valuable preseason preparations to occur between now and August 18th.
Prediction
With signings unveiled and more expected, Chelsea are clearly going about the transition project that Andre Villas Boas so openly talked about and so quickly used to justify his actions and failures. Providing it is more suitably handled than last season – more Sir Alex Ferguson like than AVB, if you wish – a serious title challenge can be mounted.
With their ever-present source of goals now plying his trade in China, heads will turn to a new man to lead the Chelsea line. An impressive, if still somewhat sparse, tournament showing from Fernando Torres, which saw him collect the Golden Boot for Euro 2012 as his nation won it back-to-back, will have done wonders for not only the striker’s confidence but the people who matter’s belief in him, too. Daniel Sturridge has previously expressed his desire to play a more central role for Chelsea, currently operating on the wings of The Blues’s front three and with new signing Oscar stating he will play anywhere to get a game, Di Matteo will certainly benefit from a flush of choices in the forward department, if not fluidity at least.
If one more signing had to be made by Chelsea a right-back would be the priority. Whilst John Terry, David Luiz, Gary Cahill and Branislav Ivanovic are all superb world-class centre-backs, the former most is, although by no means old at 31, not the iconic world beater he once was and the latter most is by far a better player in the centre than he is at right-back and Jose Bosingwa was simply not title-winning material and was thus released. With Ashley Cole still one of football’s finest left-backs, it really does leave just the right-back position to be addressed. If it can be, a fourth title in ten years is a very real possibility.
Prediction: 1st.
Written by Jordan Florit for www.maycauseoffence.com/ For more articles visit my website or my Twitter @JordanFlorit
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