Roman Abramovich has changed the rules at Chelsea
Chelsea fans certainly weren’t pleased with their club’s inability to finish the summer transfer window with a flourish. The Blues missed out on several top targets on Deadline Day which represents a significant departure from the way the club operated just a year or two ago. It’s clear that Roman Abramovich has changed the way Chelsea operate.
The real question is just how different the Blues handle things now. Some journalists would have you believe that Abramovich has changed Chelsea from a free spending club to a penny-pinching operation over night. In truth, the changes have been much more subtle at Stamford Bridge.
Abramovich rightly understood that Chelsea needed to make splashy purchases when he first took over the club. The Blues were not relevant immediately before his arrival. His massive financial resources allowed the club to upgrade their talent level significantly, and immediately.
Things are different now for the club. They’re the defending Premier League champions and talented players from all over the world are happy to join Chelsea when given the opportunity. They’ve become a massive success both on and off the pitch.
Abramovich is bright enough to understand that. He spent massive loads of cash when he first took over the club and now he is smart enough to know that isn’t necessary any longer. That’s caused him to slowly, but surely shift the club’s transfer policy.
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Chelsea still spend loads of cash to bring in their top targets. The massive sum they spent on Alvaro Morata this summer is proof of that. Abramovich still backs his managers with big money to acquire elite talent. The changes are taking place with the club’s lesser targets.
Consider the likes of Fernando Llorente. He snubbed Conte and company on Deadline Day to sign with Tottenham. Various reports claim that both clubs offered Swansea and the 32-year-old striker the same transfer fee and compensation. In the end, Llorente claims he chose Spurs for the chance to work under Mauricio Pochettino.
That may well be true, but Llorente wouldn’t have been permitted to turn Chelsea down over the past few seasons. Previously Abramovich would have thrown in extra cash to make sure Llorente chose his club. These days, the higher-ups at Chelsea are willing to let secondary targets go elsewhere to save a few million pounds.
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That change in philosophy may cause Antonio Conte to pull out his hair, but it certainly doesn’t prevent Chelsea from acquiring the players they need to win Premier League titles. Roman Abramovich shouldn’t be criticized for exercising just a little bit of fiscal restraint.