Following years of short-termism, Chelsea were finally forced into fixing the problem at the crux of the club this season.
Without the ability to sign a veteran striker, like Gonzalo Higuain or Alexandre Pato, they were forced to use Tammy Abraham, now the Premier League’s second-top scorer.
Unable to buy a centre-back, they were forced to play Fikayo Tomori, the latest debutant in Gareth Southgate’s England squad.
And with no manager willing to undertake such a scary project, they were forced to hire Frank Lampard – the Premier League Manager of the Month for October.
It was like Chelsea accidentally tripped and fell on the answer to all their problems, and it was all thanks to the transfer embargo.
Over the last decade, success came as a result of short-term solutions, both on the pitch and in the dugout, and every positive season was followed by an utterly terrible one.
There was no long-term plan, and fans were struggling to connect with a team which appeared to have a different identity each season.
Suddenly, Chelsea are everything the fans want. An exciting, youthful team of academy graduates with a talented young manager, who also happens to be their favourite person in the entire world.
But make no mistake, the Blues would have broken the bank to get some big names in last summer if they had the chance. It’s what they do.
And the fear, now that their transfer ban has been lifted and they can sign players in January, is that they will revert back to that system and ruin all of Lampard’s work.
Already there are reports which suggest Chelsea are willing to splash £150million next month after banking the money from Eden Hazard’s move to Real Madrid.
Roman Abramovich has reportedly rediscovered his appetite for the club, and big names like Timo Werner and Wilfried Zaha are among those linked.
But why? Chelsea don’t need them. They’re already competing in matches with the best clubs in Europe, just four months into the new project.
Besides maybe getting a left-back, the Blues can become an absolute force in the years to come with the team they’ve already got.
And, all else aside, it’s just more fun this way.
One of the main benefits of the transfer embargo was the lack of pressure at Chelsea this season.
Sixth place would’ve been acceptable when the season began, and the fans were never going to turn on a young side with a legend at the helm.
It’s allowed them to overachieve. But with heavy investment comes high expectation.
Chelsea genuinely would’ve been better off if their transfer ban remained in place, forcing them to commit to the exciting project they’ve already started.
Because now that it’s been lifted, they won’t be able to help themselves.
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