“Their plan all along” – Club brief tells fans to be “positive” about transfer failure | OneFootball

The transfer window has just closed, and while Chelsea managed to shed a lot of the players they wanted to, their only arrivals were a 19 year old, a player to arrive in the summer and two loan recalls.

This was despite the club having openly briefed they were looking for a striker and a winger. Simon Johnson’s summary of the window for the Athletic claimed that, while those deals didn’t get done, there were “positives” that the fans could take from it.

“Some Chelsea followers are asking themselves what there is to be positive about from the business that has just taken place. The club were looking for a winger and a striker, yet neither was secured,” Johnson wrote, in a piece which has the slight PR tone of one coming from a club brief.

“However, that does not mean those plans have been shelved. As most clubs found, not many teams are willing to sell this kind of talent mid-season. Chelsea have done a lot of groundwork to get deals done in the summer instead, which was in their plan all along.”

It also points to other positives one can get on board with – like how departures of unsettled players can be good for morale. It’s a very positive spin on the whole thing, but who knows, maybe there’s some truth to it.

Academy project still gives fans hope and excitement

Tyrique George in action for Chelsea. (Photo by Mike Hewitt/Getty Images)

There is one glimmer of hope, and it’s something that Enzo Maresca referred to as well as Johnson in his piece. Asked about how the team would cope if the injuries apparently picked up last night by strikers Nicolas Jackson and Marc Guiu kept them both out for the weekend, the Chelsea manager suggested that young Tyrique George could play in a more attacking role.

Now if there’s one panacea that will always work to soothe fans after a disappointing transfer window, it’s the promise of talented youth players being promoted and getting more game time. Who needs Alejandro Garnacho anyway?