Transfer ban might benefit Chelsea

News this week that Fifa have not yet decided whether Chelsea will have to serve a transfer ban this summer casts further uncertainty over the club’s plans.

But might such a ban if it happens, actually be beneficial to Chelsea? Perhaps forcing whoever is in charge this summer to give more opportunities to the talented crop of youngsters on their books?

The west London club have invested heavily in their youth system in recent years and it has led to FA youth cup success and produced several very promising young players.

But notoriously Chelsea have become synonymous with a trend amongst top Premier League clubs of loaning out lots of these players to other clubs at home and abroad.

Instead of giving their youngsters a chance, Chelsea have gone for tried and tested star players in the effort to achieve immediate and constant success.

Despite a sometimes bewildering round-robin of managerial changes, this approach has largely proved successful as the roll-call of trophies won in the past decade or so underlines.

However this season has proved a much more challenging one and there is no absolute certainty that the club will finish in the top four. Winning the Europa League looks like it might be Chelsea’s best bet for Champions League football next season.

If they are unable to secure a top four place or win the Europa League, whether they have a transfer ban or not it will probably prove more difficult to attract top players to Stamford Bridge.

In addition it now seems almost a certainty that Eden Hazard will be leaving for pastures new in the summer. And furthermore it also doesn’t look as though Maurizio Sarri will be staying either.

Given all that upheaval Chelsea probably do need a new strategy for sustained long-term success.

If he does leave, Hazard will prove almost impossible to replace as I don’t think there is another player in the game of his type and few with his talent. He is surely one of the best half-dozen players in Europe today.

The irony is that Chelsea will probably have upwards of £100-150 million from any Hazard transfer, possibly more, and yet they might not be able to spend any of it.

Despite his undoubted quality, there has been a sense that Chelsea’s senior stars sometimes perhaps wield too much power in the dressing room, hampering a coach’s ability to mold his side. This is particularly true of Sarri’s time in charge. The bizarre incident involving Kepa Arrizabalaga’s substitution in the Carabo Cup final seemed to underline this.

Perhaps some fresh blood and a change in priorities might benefit the club and team.

The next manager at Stamford Bridge, (assuming Sarri does go!), will obviously have his own plans and preferences. But he could have his hands tied by FIFA and so he might have to look to the club’s young talent to build on.

And there’s plenty of that available. The most notable is Callum Huson-Odoi. The young wide player has already been capped by his country despite having played largely as a substitute this season for his club.

His precocious talent has also led to high-profile bids from German giants Bayern Munich as the trend in European clubs looking to recruit young English talent continues.

Chelsea have resisted these overtures – for now. But how long will players like Hudson-Odoi be expected to wait for a chance at Stamford Bridge if the prospect of regular first-team football is on offer in Germany or indeed another top European league.

The spectacular success of Jadon Sancho‘s move to Bayern’s rivals Borussia Dortmund only makes that point even clearer.

As well as Hudson-Odoi, Chelsea also have another very talented forward on loan at Crystal Palace in Ruben Loftus-Cheek. Again he has already been capped several times by England and played a role in the World Cup run to the semi-finals last summer.

After a fine season in 2017-18 he’s been a bit quieter this season. But he is a powerful, versatile and skilful player who can play in several different positions.

And then there are players who have remained in Chelsea’s first-team squad. In particular Ross Barkley. Chelsea got him at a snip for £15 million.

The former Everton youth product has had a stop-start career at both his former club and now in west London. But he has real talent and is another young player who probably needs a prolonged spell in the team to realise that potential.

Under Roman Abramovich’s ownership, the Blues have been seriously big spenders looking for instant success and largely getting it. Now however that is not so certain a route to trophies.

But with transfer fees rocketing, Manchester City’s almost bottomless pockets as well as tighter rules on signing players, Chelsea cannot guarantee that this approach will bring rewards any longer.

With some excellent senior players some of whom will still be at the club next season, perhaps like other Premier League clubs, Chelsea will have to re-build around their young players and look to create some greater stability to become competitive again.