Four years since BlueCo took possession of Chelsea. Four years since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium has sent huge checks to young players, with all the uncertainty that represents. There was some good, with Enzo Fernández and Moisés Caicedo (recruited at 22 and 21 years old for a total of €237 million) but also some big misses (Mudryk, Gittens and others…). Exciting for some, doomed to failure for others, the Chelsea project embodied by BlueCo has not really borne fruit in terms of results, with the sad 10th place obtained at the end of the last season.
The Blues are therefore starting a new cycle, with Xabi Alonso on the sidelines, to imprint a real playing identity, instead of piling up the announced nuggets. This does not prevent Chelsea from continuing to look for the slightest opportunity to recruit a great footballing hope, the latest being Marco Palestra (21 years old) from Atalanta. But one file embodies the change in strategy. The one leading to Granit Xhaka.
New with old?
Xabi Alonso’s flagship player during his two great years at Leverkusen, Granit Xhaka made a remarkable return to the Premier League with Sunderland. It was not a sure thing, as this transfer had not excited many people initially, including the Swiss, who seemed almost surprised to land there. But the exciting season of the Black Cats (7th in the Premier League) and the major role played by Xhaka, who became captain of the club, changed the analysis of this movement.
Xabi Alonso therefore asked his management to recruit the Swiss, aged… 33 years old and under contract until 2028. This was accepted since a first offer of around €9 million was sent to Sunderland. Who rejected it out of hand. Already because he was recruited for €15 million from Bayer Leverkusen last summer. Then because he still has two years of contract. Finally because he had an excellent season. Despite everything, it remains surprising to see Chelsea comply with their coach’s demands for a player of this age, in a sector of the game that is already quite congested.
The last time BlueCo recruited a player this old, it was not a real success: it was Kalidou Koulibaly, who arrived from Naples at 31, and sold a year later to Al-Hilal. But as explained The Athletic, “Chelsea believes there is a need for more mature voices in the dressing room”. Even if it means developing your initial project, for perhaps finally convincing results…
