It’s hard to cheer up Chelsea fans after a weekend like that. Not only was the result bad, it also came hot on the heels of a good result which got everyone’s hopes up that we might make it into Europe this season.
One thing that could get Blues excited is the prospect of some new players – not that that’s done much for us in the last couple of years.
A name that’s being mentioned more and more is Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao. Fresh from winning the Copa Del Rey on Saturday, there’s a sense he could be ready to move on and leave his boyhood club. The reported €43m release clause in his contract makes him a very tempting option for a number of clubs.
Pete O’Rourke’s piece for Football Insider today claims that Chelsea are desperate to sign him, and are going to try and arrange a “pre-window” deal to secure their man before other teams can get involved. It’s a nice idea, and we’d like to thing work is being done ahead of another massive window for us.
The one disturbing question though – and it’s sadly one which will hang over every transfer story from now on in a way which it hasn’t for 20 odd years – is why Williams would come to Chelsea?
We have enough prestige in the bank from successes over the years to attract talented young players. But all other things being equal, why would a top tier player come here when they have offers which include European football at a well organised institution elsewhere?
