The Blues might find a more accessible transfer market after Thomas Tuchel’s departure....CONTINUE READING THE FULL ARTICLE>>>
Other than players coming from Brighton, Graham Potter is entering a world where everything is at his fingertips. Chelsea have a budget that dwarfs his former club’s and with more recruitment staff, additional funds and elite data analysis, Potter is embarking on his own journey as well as the club is.
Chelsea are moving towards a long-term plan led by data-driven recruitment, smart business and much more planning for the future. Potter is now central to this with his five-year contract and immense backing from the new owners.
For fans it is a disappointment to see such a popular figure in Thomas Tuchel move on, but excitement should still be around for an unknown future at Stamford Bridge.
In the more immediate future Potter has already begun work to ressurect a side that were European Champions 15 months ago. His aim is to progress smoothly into a consistent Premier League force. Although it won’t be easy, the ground work is being put in.
With the new backroom staff that have joined from Brighton, including Bruno Saltor, highly-rated Kyle Macaulay is also on-board along with more analysts to join Chelsea in the new move.
The staff will slowly work their way into place alongside an anticipated director of football in order to start the recruitment drive to aid Potter’s imminent Chelsea goals.
On this list might be a new midfielder or more sustainable attackers, but alongside that Potter will be hoping to maintain his record of improving individuals and making the most of unknown stars.
His Brighton side boast talents such as Pascal Gross, Leandro Trossard and Marc Cucurella most recently and Chelsea will now be hoping to pip other clubs to the emerging players before paying a premium for their development in years time from other Premier League clubs.
This wasn’t something in place under Tuchel. Now, with the German moved on in brutal fashion, the door might also be open to transfers that weren’t previously available. Here, football.london looks at five players that are now more readily available under Potter.
Fikayo Tomori
Chelsea and Potter will get the chance to look at the former academy and breakout star when he visits Stamford Bridge in several weeks for a Champions League tie.
Now at AC Milan and returning as a Serie A winner, Tomori has made great progress since being effectively exciled under Frank Lampard in 2020 after his stellar start to life. A lack of trust in the 24-year-old saw him sold for just £25m before Tuchel even had the chance to work with him.
Now Lampard and the old ownership regime have departed a move for Tomori may well be possible again, and with ageing defenders, his speed and quality in a back three might be the perfect mixture.
Tammy Abraham
Joining Tomori in Serie A shortly after was Tammy Abraham. Unlike his Cobham friend, Abraham did get the chance to impress Tuchel – not much of one, though – but was also swiftly outcasted with Olivier Giroud, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner all preferred.
After scoring 15 league goals, the most of a Chelsea player since 2017 with Diego Costa, Abraham was relegated down the pecking order under both Lampard and Tuchel. The striker would only play 140 minutes of league action in four months under Tuchel, starting just three times.
Abraham was then gleefully snapped up by Jose Mourinho at Roma, where he has since continued his fine goalscoring form, netting 29 times in 59 games.
Like Tomori, Abraham will still feel a connection with the club but may be more open to rejoining with a new manager at the helm. His £67.5m buyback clause will be active this summer if Potter was to turn to the forward.
Tino Livramento
Continuing the Cobham theme, Tino Livramento was sold last summer too as part of the mass youth exodus which funded Romelu Lukaku. The academy player of the year for 2021 wasn’t convinced that he would get the minutes he deserved and would need to develop last season, choosing a move to Southampton instead.
Tuchel never saw much of Livramento but would later regret the decision to allow him to go so easily. Chelsea had a crisis at wingback for large parts of the campaign with Reece James being injured and Cesar Azpilicueta’s own pace struggles.
Livramento looked brilliant for Ralph Hasenhuttl before a damaging ACL injury cut his season short. Chelsea will have the option to buy him back next summer too, and with Azpilicueta still looking shaky at right-back and wingback there is a spot for the 19-year-old. It would cost Potter £38m for his services.
There is already precedent for a young right-back doing well under Potter as he helped another former Blues starlet, Tariq Lamptey, grow after joining Brighton.
Cristiano Ronaldo
Boehly’s desire to Ronaldo was evident all summer. The Portuguese forward was offered to Chelsea early in the window and his name never went away.
The new owners saw the five-time Ballon d’Or winner as the statement signing needed, plus his goalscoring exploits would likely have helped Tuchel even if it wasn’t harmonious amongst the team.
Reports suggest that Boehly’s insistence on Ronaldo wore Tuchel down and frustrated the German who decided he didn’t need a forward before making a U-turn with Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.
Although there is a marked difference between the two, Tuchel’s mind was set on Ronaldo but Boehly never got reason to stop mentioning his name.
Now that Potter is in the building Boehly could raise the question again to test the water. Although Potter has primarily used flexible forwards, his tactical ploy with Danny Welback may well be one that is transferable with Ronaldo.
The striker is out of contract next summer and would be available on a free contract. Now Tuchel is gone the decision will be there once more.
