Manager instability will cost Chelsea in January transfer window

You have to wonder what type of player would sign for Chelsea in January given their lack of a permanent manager

Sacking Jose Mourinho may have been the right long-term move for Chelsea, but it’s going to cost them in this January transfer window. No star player without a serious flaw will be willing to sign with a club without a permanent manager.

Chelsea will be willing to flex their significant financial might in this transfer window but they are going to struggle to find star players to spend their cash on. The best players available in January will avoid Stamford Bridge in an effort to find more stable clubs.

Just think about it. If you are a star player who’s willing to make a big Premier League move in January, one of your biggest questions would be how you might fit into your manager’s long-term plans. Given Guus Hiddink’s status as Chelsea’s interim manager there’s no one at the club who can answer that question for you. Wouldn’t that make you extremely hesitant to commit your future to Chelsea no matter how big a contract they offered you?

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Players with options to sign for other big clubs are going to shy away from the instability at Chelsea. They’ll look to sign for clubs who have permanent managers who at least have a chance to coach them for multiple years. Even if Hiddink rights the ship at Stamford Bridge he isn’t going to be given that opportunity.

Of course, this doesn’t mean that Chelsea is going to sit back and admit defeat on all of their January transfer targets. They’ll still be active in the market and try to convince quality targets to commit their futures to the club even in the absence of a long-term manager.

They’ll even manage to be successful in some instances, but it won’t be with the best available targets. Even if they are able to sign a true superstar it’s a good bet that they’ll be forced to significant overpay for him. Savvy agents will use the uncertainty at Chelsea in negotiations to force Roman Abramovich to pay through the nose for their clients.

The other alternative will be for Chelsea to settle for players of lesser quality or those with some sort of off-the-field issues. I wouldn’t be surprised to see their transfer policy focus on youth in January as a result. They could work to re-stock their youth pipeline in a window where they can’t really compete for superstars.

Their other option would be to focus on prospects with some sort of attitude issues. Perhaps they will emerge as a possible landing spot for West Brom’s troubled striker Saido Berahino.

Once Chelsea selects a new, permanent manager they will get back to competing at the top of the Premier League. They’ll challenge for silverware on the pitch and for big name signings on the transfer market. This January transfer window will see them sitting out the big battles as they languish without a permanent manager or vision for the club’s future.

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