Chelsea’s transfer strategy has nothing to do with football – just ask Raheem Sterling

Joao Felix Returns To Chelsea For Conor Gallagher's Exit

August 20, 2024 at six in the morning (last updated at six o'clock one minute in the morning)

Welcome back Joao Felix! Sorry we haven't had a chance to erect the statue in your honor yet. Maybe it will happen at the new stadium? In your last stint here, you made 20 appearances, scored four goals, had no assists, and achieved four wins. Let's not forget about that memorable debut red card you received in just five months. Good times indeed!

If Chelsea has their say, they wish for him to pave the way for Raheem Sterling to move on to Juventus, Saudi Arabia, or even Mordor. Sterling was left out of the squad for Sunday's defeat to Manchester City, with Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto, and Mykhailo Mudryk ahead of him in the pecking order for the left-wing position.

Despite the fact that Sterling was among the top three scorers for Chelsea last season and tied for the top scorer the season before, he is still seen as one of the biggest disappointments of the Clearlake era. This is mainly because of some notable misses in important moments and a perceived problem with his attitude, along with his high weekly wage of £325,000 leading the squad.

Enzo Maresca explained that Sterling was not included in the team for technical reasons, indicating that he may have underperformed in training or does not quite fit into the Italian coach's highly praised "system". Praise be to the system.

Certainly, Felix is not considered a top player in the team, except maybe as the fourth-best left-winger when Sterling is not available. However, this is not important because he helps Conor Gallagher leave for £34 million and is even willing to accept a lower salary. It makes me wonder if there is a pattern emerging here.

Enzo Fernandez and Mudryk consistently point out that Chelsea is willing to sign any player as long as they can bring in money. It seems like football tactics and technical strategies are not a big concern for Chelsea when it comes to transfers. Their approach seems more haphazard and based on financial gains rather than overall team strategy.

In this situation, there are two different groups of players being brought in. Some are seen as valuable members of the main team, while others are brought in with the goal of making money, treating footballers like investments that are only judged based on their potential to make a profit.

Marc Guiu has the potential to become a valuable striker, and it's possible that his value will exceed the initial cost of £5m by the time he reaches 21 years old. Omari Hutchinson was able to transform a free transfer from Arsenal into a staggering £18m after playing just 22 minutes.

Diego Moreira, a winger, moved from Stamford Bridge to Strasbourg this summer for a mere £2m. He was signed on a free transfer the previous season. It's all about making a profit! How exciting is that?

Before we talk about players like Felix and Omari Kellyman, we need to highlight a new type of footballer signed specifically to improve a club's Financial Fair Play standings. Chelsea paid £19 million for Kellyman, but when spread out over five years, this only counts as a £3.8 million expense. This allowed Aston Villa to pay £37.5 million for Ian Maatsen, resulting in a significant profit for both clubs and ensuring they avoided any deductions in points.

Kellyman had a prime spot to watch the Manchester City game from the back of the bench, dressed in casual clothes next to Cesare Casadei. It must have been a dream come true for young Omari, who sacrificed school nights and teenage years to pursue a career in football.

Currently, Chelsea have spent £40 million on Felix, with £8 million being spread out over time. This means that Gallagher will be leaving the team, as the deal with Samu Omorodion from Alaves fell through. This leaves Chelsea with a total of £26 million (potentially even more when considering the amortised Fernandez) to invest in acquiring new players, which is exactly what the team needs.

The difference in reasons behind the actions can be difficult for fans and former players to understand. They may struggle to see that there is a clear financial goal driving the project.

However, at this point, the deception has been uncovered and the situation has become ridiculous. The emperor's lack of clothing is clear for all to see, and he is not even attempting to conceal it anymore. Todd, please stop twerking!

Getting into the Champions League is simply a way to attract better sponsorship deals. Young players from the academy are only used to bring in more profits. Coaches can easily be switched out because many of them don't have a significant impact. And here's a little insider tip about football players - there are always more of them out there!

We want to think that football doesn't operate this way, that it could be heading in that direction, but it's not there yet. Despite Roman Abramovich's clear shortcomings, he was ready to spend billions of pounds to achieve success in football. We hope that billionaires purchase football clubs to fund our enjoyment with their extra money.

However, Boehly, Behdad Eghbali, and Clearlake Capital decided to purchase Chelsea in order to secure substantial wealth for future generations. They were inspired by the successful models of Manchester City and Brighton, which not only resulted in on-field success, but also generated the highest revenue and profit during the previous season.

Sterling was banished from the club with official approval, showing that he is no longer desired. He might try to regain his position, but it seems like their relationship can't be repaired. With Felix joining on a long-term contract, Sterling could now be ranked fifth in terms of importance.

This means he will no longer be under contract in 2030, a year before Mudryk’s agreement ends. With less than half a year until his 30th birthday and no quick fix for his performance issues, Sterling is simply a problem in this situation.

Chelsea may have trouble getting rid of him before the transfer window closes in 10 days. If he wants to leave, he would likely have to accept a lower salary if he doesn't want to go to Saudi Arabia, a place he has specifically stated he doesn't want to go to.

So these players are being discarded, including Gallagher, Armando Broja, Ben Chilwell, Romelu Lukaku, Casadei, Kepa Arrizabalaga, David Datro Fofana and Djordje Petrovic. Not all of our investments turn out successful, I guess. On to the next batch of players.