Chelsea have made their fair share of transfer woes over the years, and it would be more than fair to say that Roman Abramovich’s money has not always been well spent.
Notable examples of the aforementioned are Fernando Torres and Andriy Shevchenko, who cost a whopping £80m between them and failed to produce any kind of decent form for the Blues. Some more of the club's big money flops include £24m man Shaun Wright-Phillips - who now plays for the New York Red Bulls - £18m Argentine Hernan Crespo and £16m playmaker Juan Sebastian Veron - and they're only a small sample.
Having endured a poor season last time out - in which the Blues finished a lowly 10th position in the league - this summer is a pivotal one in ensuring the club start to push in the right direction.
Incoming manager Antonio Conte represents a beacon of hope on the bleak horizon that has been Stamford Bridge over the past 12 months, however, if the move for the current Italy manager is to work, it is vital that Chelsea get it right in the transfer window this summer.
FFC investigates FIVE mistakes the Blues cannot afford to make over the transfer period ….
Give Abramovich the Power
Ultimately, Chelsea is the Russian billionaire’s club, so he can do with it what he will. Abramovich has been brilliant for the Blues in almost every aspect since his 2003 takeover, but my lord please don’t let him near the transfer market.
His knowledge of running a multimillion pound business: brilliant. His knowledge of footballing talent: less than average. The last signing Roman took charge of was that of the £50m Fernando Torres, so I’ll leave it at that.
Forget Their Youth
Chelsea certainly need some new recruits at Stamford Bridge, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t acknowledge the talent they already have under their noses.
Guus Hiddink was the first Chelsea manager in a long while to begin to give youth an opportunity, and at times his bravery in that sense paid off as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Bertrand Traore were both extremely impressive when given the chance. Add in Kenedy, Jake Clarke-Salter, Tammy Abraham and Jay DaSilva and the Blues have a plethora of young talent at their disposal.
Let Go of Costa
Diego Costa has been the most consistent performer at Stamford Bridge over the past two seasons, and has chipped in with an impressive 37 goals in 78 appearances along the way.
Costa plays on the edge, and that edge adds a fire to the belly of the Chelsea team that not many others can produce. Admittedly, the Spaniard does go one too far on the odd occasion (well, almost always), but if Conte can reel him in, the Londoners' fans will gladly take a bit of controversy and a couple of sending offs a season in return for the quality he offers.
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Sell to their Rivals
The Blues have done this far too often in the past, and more often than not it has backfired. Letting go of Juan Mata to Manchester United was one thing and seeing William Gallas leave for Arsenal was another, but perhaps the worst has been letting Petr Cech make the switch to the Gunners last summer.
In a round about way, Kevin De Bruyne is also another that the powers that be at Chelsea will be kicking themselves over, having let him go to Wolfsburg, only to see him move onto Manchester City just over a year later. This kind of mistake only gives those around them an unnecessary edge and players who are set out to seek revenge.
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Sign Only for Now
Again it can be said that Chelsea do need players that are going to come in and have an instant impact at the Bridge - an example being if the Blues were to capture Leonardo Bonucci from Juventus as rumoured.
He'd be a fantastic signing, but not a sustainable one that will take Antonio Conte’s side on over and beyond the coming season. Bringing in that experience is vital for the next season or two, but Chelsea also need to look to the future when signing players for the sake of the club's fortunes in the long run.
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