Abramovich was once the benchmark... now he’s the norm. Which way does the trendsetter go from here?
now and you’ve got to believe they must spend big at the end of the season. Make that spend massive. So, Harry Kane is going to be top of their list. And Hazard second. Looking from the outside, you’d say there is little chance of Chelsea keeping him under the current situation. Yeah, of course he has a contract. And Abramovich is wealthy enough to keep him to it and make him rot in the reserves if he really wants to.
In fairness, one of Chelsea’s strengths during his ownership has been they don’t lose players they want to keep.
Which is why I asked if the owner’s heart is in it. If he really wants to let the club pay its own way without putting any more money in, then what do they do if there’s a £200million bid for Hazard? It seems to me Antonio Conte has spent the last 12 months not so subtly suggesting he needs new players. Loads of new players! And he’s not wrong either.
I can actually see what Chelsea have tried to do. They have allowed some older players to leave and got decent money for them – the likes of Nemanja Matic and Diego Costa (and I suspect they tried to sell David Luiz too) – and invested the proceeds in younger replacements.
But it hasn’t worked and they now face a situation where they need a bit of an overhaul.
In fact, I’m being kind. To compete with City and where Pep Guardiola will take them next season, they are going to need some big, big signings.
They are not going to make those if they have to raise their own revenue.
And Hazard is going to look at a season without the Champions League and without an obvious chance of challenging for honours... and think Madrid looks nice at this time of year.
Conte is a top-class manager. I have always admired how quickly he knocked them into shape when he arrived at Stamford Bridge and how he got them playing as a unit.
Yet, he knows how far away he is from competing with City... hence his complaints.
Chelsea – and Abramovich – are at a crossroads. He has pumped money into the club for a decade, sacking managers and winning trophies with equal frequency.
But without the cash, there will be no trophies – just sackings. A glorified Watford.
If his heart isn’t in it, then they become a club content to challenge for a top-four place and one which will lose their top stars to Real Madrid and Barcelona.
And to Manchester City, too.
Just ask Arsenal.
Without the cash, there will be no trophies – just sackings