The 2020 summer transfer window will forever be known as the year Roman Abramovich opened his wallet to most of Europe, offering big contracts to young stars such as Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Hakim Ziyech. These additions alongside the young talent that Chelsea has already cultivated (besides Kepa Arrizabalaga of course) have provided Frank Lampard with a super-team that its fans believe could bring them back to the top of both the Premier League and Europe. Although it is still early in the season, the signings combined performance has left something to be desired, both by the fans and Abramovich's wallet; which is now £222 million lighter.
The phrase "super-team" is a phrase that is thrown around a lot in modern sport, but on paper, Chelsea definitely qualifies. They have both quality and depth at almost every position on the pitch and paired with a great coach in Frank Lampard means that they definitely look good on a lineup sheet and coming out of the tunnel. However, when you start to look at the analytics of how impactful these signings have been for Chelsea, you can start to see why they can start to be categorized as underachievers.
Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Hakim Ziyech have been on the pitch wearing the famous blue of Chelsea for a combined 2369 minutes. In that time, they have combined for only 6 goals and 10 assists between them. In contrast, Mo Salah, Sadio Mane, and Diego Jota have played 2644 minutes but combined for 18 goals and 8 assists, rocketing their team to the top of the table. Furthermore, Hueng-min Son, Harry Kane, and Tanguy Ndombele have combined for 21 goals and 15 assists in 3095 mins. As these teams are Chelsea's main rivals to the Premier League crown this year, their new signings will need to start producing on the same level in order to prove their worth.
So, I guess the big question is: Why aren't they performing?
Fingers usually point straight to the manager, but as Lampard has already proven his worth managing young talent at both Derby County and last season at Chelsea, where he pushed the Blues to a surprising 3rd overall finish in the Premier League. Therefore, the blame must be shifted elsewhere. It is no question that each of these 3 major signings has come from inferior leagues (overall) with Havertz and Werner coming from the Bundesliga and Ziyech coming from the Eredivise league in the Netherlands. However, as all these players have shown they can perform both in the Champions League and on the international stage, the move to the Premier League shouldn't be that disruptive in terms of their playing performance. In addition, the roles they now occupy at Chelsea are very similar if not identical to the roles they occupied at their former club, so this cannot be to blame either. Instead, the finger should point at two massive psychological barriers: pressure and expectation.
Think about it. If you buy a car worth £222 million, you would expect £222 million worth of performance. If you didn't, you would send it back, right? It's the same concept in football, but instead of sending back a car, you're crushing a footballer's career at the age of 25. It is this kind of monumental pressure and expectation that has been placed on these 3 players and because they have not immediately produced, some are starting to label them as "busts".
Not only is this unfair, but it is something that happens far too often in professional sport. Instead of individual people, players are seen as pieces of a puzzle that are swapped in and out until they fit, and if they don't they are cast out entirely. Only time will tell if this is the future that awaits these young stars at Chelsea but I can only hope they do not fall victim to this medieval way of thinking that modern football has adopted.
Fair comment, yes !!
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