Chelsea Must Find Balance to Become Competitive Again

A lot of questions came up after a surprisingly dull 2015 summer transfer window for Chelsea, especially when considering the fact that the Premier League club bought a mid-level centre-back such as Papy Djilobodji at a time when they needed strong additions to bolster their ranks.

Many of these questions came not only from the supporters of the champions, but also from the very players of the club. According to various records in the media, some players were not impressed with his performance. The same applies to other signings of the squad, such as Alexandre Pato.

The truth is that the Brazil international is quite talented, but when taking into account the trail of his career after leaving AC Milan in 2013, he would be a great risk for the team’s first signing in January transfer window.

Of course, there is chance of the 26-year-old striker to earn a rightful place in the Premier League and finally demonstrate his potential. However, there is also a chance for him to show he is too far from Chelsea’s style and overall needs.

The real problem is that the Premier League club have gone from one of the most-praised football clubs in the world, to a team that obviously needs a lot of work to return to its old self. The setbacks faced by Chelsea are obviously widely-known, since a lot of other clubs’ board members have commented on the difficulties at Stamford Bridge.

Former manager of the team Jose Mourinho may have had a lot of problems over his last campaign at the club, but he was not the only one to blame for recent problems at Chelsea. The restrained transfer policy of the team in the summer of 2015 made them gamble on mid-level players, was undoubtedly unsuccessful. The transfers made by the club failed to meet the expectations of both coach, experts and fans at Stamford Bridge.

The difference between the performance of the Premier League club in the summer of 2014 and the business they have done ever since, is obvious. The truth is that Chelsea seem to have faced some difficulties finding the balance they managed to set in 2014.

According to ex Chelsea player and now-pundit Pat Nevin, the club has been facing some setbacks exactly when it comes to balance. On the other hand, he admitted there could have been seen some progress over the summer, but there is a lot to be worked on. Nevin also shared that there could be a managerial problem or the ageing key core of players could also be a problem, since most of them are getting to their mid-30s.

However, updating the core of the squad is quite a delicate and difficult process, especially considering Chelsea have appointed a new manager. Since the January transfer window is to close soon, the summer is expected to be another transitional moment of grave importance in the club’s recent history.