The fatal flaw preventing Chelsea from being London's one true super club - and it's not Conte
Under Roman Abramovich, Chelsea have the potential - so what's stopping them?
By
Joe Tweeds
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WATCH NEXTAntonio Conte reveals who Chelsea have missed the most this season - and it's not Costa or Matic
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As the final whistle blew at Old Trafford in February, Antonio Conte looked resigned to facing more uncomfortable questions about his Chelsea future.
Gone is the fire in the belly that sent the club to the Premier League title in 2017. Instead, flames are now licking around a bridge that seems ready to be burned between the Italian and his employers and players. He spent months telling the squad they were going to struggle for a top four position and access to the Champions League, all the while questioning whether they are good enough to wear the shirt.
In years gone by the strength of character within the Chelsea squad enabled the dressing room to feed off the chaos and instability that so often surrounded it. Managers didn't last long enough for true transitional periods. However, the strength of character and leaders that once galvanised the team in times of adversity has long since departed.
Didier Drogba, John Terry and Frank Lampard gave Chelsea a formidable nucleus of leaders able to weather any storm. (Image: IAN KINGTON/AFP/GettyImages)
Despite winning two Premier League titles in their last three seasons - as well as the FA Cup this year - the club felt strangely directionless this year. It is undeniable that they have not built upon their success. Without delving too much into the manager versus board dynamic, it is evident that things are not harmonious.
Chelsea’s penchant for signing and developing talent (~70% of signings in the last 5-years have been 25 or under) is patently at odds with Conte’s preference for experienced players, and that's before touching upon where the academy and its production line fit into his plans.
At one-time, Chelsea were able to field a team comprising almost entirely of international captains. The lack of overall strategy did not matter to a side that had the big personalities to overcome almost any crisis . Unfortunately, the same cannot be said about the current squad.
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The short-term reliance on player trading to generate transfer funds has become problematic. When you need to sell quality players there is an immense amount of pressure to get the subsequent acquisitions correct.
Can Chelsea honestly say that their last twenty-five purchases have added significant quality to the first team? At the end of the January transfer window, Chelsea had spent somewhere in the region of £300million. The only improvement to the first team has come from the return of loanee.
While Conte continues to pretend like he has no input in transfers, and Chelsea seemingly obsessed with suffixing every transfer deal with claims that their targets present good value in the current market, it is difficult to recognise any long-term strategy to their dealings.
Antonio Conte looks on in dismay as Chelsea lose to Watford (Photo Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images)
There are arguments to be made that the underlying rationale for decisions has swung too far towards the commercial spectrum. Value for money and the requirement for a good deal seem to supersede the need to sign objectively good players.
When you see reports linking Chelsea to Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch, someone needs to have a sensible word with all concerned. Chelsea need someone credible at the board level to provide a viewpoint that is only concerned with delivering success on the pitch.
This premise should be the single most important and overarching concept at any football club, and taking all of the above into consideration, the need for a strong and capable director of football is a must.
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Chelsea need someone who can provide a view on footballing matters and shape conversations at the top. Within the corporate structures of a modern club, it is more important that ever to find people who will push and defend the interests of the sporting side of the business.
In the absence of having a senior figure charged with pursuing that agenda, sometimes in competition with the other concerns of the board, the task of formulating a vision of how to achieve and maintain on-the-pitch excellence is left to executives with other priorities.
All around Europe, specialists who excel as the go-betweens to connect the boardroom with the dressing room are gaining the sort of public praise and recognition previously reserved for manager.
People like Ralf Rangnick (RB Leipzig), Monchi (Roma), Michael Zorc (Borussia Dortmund) and Luis Campos (Lille, previously Monaco) have all had significant impacts across a variety of clubs and would likely do well at Chelsea too.
Michael Zorc oversees recruitment, managerial appointments, the academy and all footballer matters at Dortmund. (Image: Alexandre Simoes/Borussia Dortmund/Getty Images)
The idea of targeting a world class operator is appealing. However, Chelsea could look a little closer to home and find people more than capable of providing the right level of input to the board.
There needs to be a common pursuit of a 'Chelsea identity', and this is something an ex-Chelsea candidate could provide.
Yet one of the club's biggest issues is their clandestine approach to outlining the roles and responsibilities of those running the club. In this case it should be very clear what is expected from a technical director.
Primarily, they should develop and safeguard the philosophy of the football club: looking after the academy right through to the first team. The key question they should be asking of any action they take is a simple one: "does this improve the on-pitch success of the football club?"
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In terms of player acquisitions, they should work in tandem with the scouting department to find positions of want or need as outlined by the head coach, working to set parameters that underpin the philosophical direction of the club. Sign players aged 23 or under with extremely high potential, for example, or established stars only.
Crucially, all the relevant information is presented to the head coach and he then takes a decision on which player he would like. There should not be a situation where the manager is claiming (truthfully or otherwise) that he has had no input on transfers. You cannot give a coach a player they have no interest in working with.
This requires Chelsea to ensure that their head coach is on board with their strategic direction. Want to go younger and develop talent? Do not hire a head coach who only wants to deal with ready-made stars and a director of football should also be involved in finding the right man for the job.
Marina Granovskaia currently heads up transfers and other matters but she is Chelsea's answer to Ed Woodward, not a director of football. (Image: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Hiring a former Chelsea player does have a few immediate drawbacks, of course. They do not bring with them an existing scouting network or have previous experience of a similar role in football.
At first, it would be up to them to act as a quality checker and sounding board for those looking after the club. They do not need to be a super scout themselves to sit in this role as the role itself should go way beyond scouting.
Zinedine Zidane was a big hit in this position for Real Madrid prior to moving into coaching. It was his influence that saw the likes of Raphael Varane and Isco come to the club, unwittingly laying the foundations for his own success as a manager.
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Manchester City are currently in the running for four trophies and top of the Premier League thanks in part to the presence of former Barcelona winger Txiki Begiristain in the chair as their own director of football.
Pep Guardiola's critics are right to point out how much money he has spent to get ahead this season but unlike their rivals Manchester United, City are clearly throwing money at a plan, not just big names to satisfy the marketing department.
That's what Chelsea need: someone who can set the club in a direction that operates on a level above the managerial turnover in the dugout, and isn't reliant on having a generational mix of self-starters in the dressing room.
Roman Abramovich after Chelsea won the title last season (Photo by Clive Rose/Getty Images)
Since 2005, the Blues have won every single trophy available to them, including five out of the last 12 Premier League titles, but they have not only failed as defending champions in their last three opportunities to stay at the top.
In their previous two attempts they suffered a total collapse, or come close to it. As successful as the Roman Abramovich model may have been over the last decade or so, it is unsustainable - in the short-term and the long - without a more permanent plan to fall back on.
With the right director of football in place, focused on high performance and not just shuffling players around Europe to produce a profit from the loan system, Chelsea could finally become the dominant, dynastic force their isolated title wins have always hinted at.
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