With most finally coming to terms with the dramatic ending of this summer’s transfer window, I feel it it the right time to discuss just why Chelsea were the clear winners of this transfer window.
It’s clear to say that Roman Abramovich’s money doesn’t just buy the best players, it buys some of the best negotiators too.
The signings of Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas for a combined fee of just around £60m+ seems a bargain in hindsight, given some of the inflated fees payed by the club’s rivals for certain players. Mourinho was shrewd, and he knew exactly what he needed and what he didn’t from last season itself.
Costa was what the Blues really needed without a doubt and it was a priority that they got a player of his calibre and position in the side. Fabregas added another dimension to the side’s already vast midfield. That dimension was creativity, something the club missed in the second half of last season.
Filipe Luis was another impressive signing. £15m for a player seemingly in his prime coming off the back of one the finest seasons of his career can easily be considered good business. The signing of Loic Remy close to deadline day was the final piece of Mourinho’s jigsaw puzzle. A capable backup to Diego Costa.
Even recalling Thibaut Courtois seems like a Mourinho masterstroke, with the Belgian giant adding a new level of protection to Chelsea’s already solid back 4, relegating club legend Petr Cech to the bench.
Another important aspect was Chelsea’s sales. As seen last season, there were certain players who were clearly not part of Mourinho’s future plans. David Luiz, Demba Ba and Fernando Torres just being some of them. Luiz’s sale was massive for Chelsea. Close to £50m for somebody wh0 many claim “can’t defend” seems like quite genius bargaining from the Blues.
Demba Ba was never going to last long at the club and his sale to Besiktas virtually put any FFP concerns out of Chelsea’s way. Fernando Torres’ two-year loan spell at AC Milan pretty much signals the end of the Spaniard’s torrid individual career in West London.
Chelsea had a net spend of just around £8m+. A very impressive amount considering the changes that had to be made to the side.
Unlike other teams, Chelsea completed their business early. That was what really seems the biggest factor in the instant success of some of their signings. They brought in quality, and in time, giving them more than enough of pre-season to start gelling with their new teammates.
Apart from Remy, Chelsea had completed every single bit of it’s transfer business (bar player loans) while their rivals were making inflated panic-signings towards the last few weeks of the window. Jose Mourinho did say that there would be no “tick-tock” for Chelsea in this window. And so it proved.
Chelsea won the transfer window, and that could possibly win them the Premier League and many more trophies this season. Michael Emenalo deserves bucketloads of credit for the wheeling and dealing this summer, while “The Special One” could well have a new nickname in “The Shrewd One”.
