ADVOCATEThree players at Chelsea should be treated similarly to Kai Havertz following Mauricio Pochettino’s transfer decision.

News about transfers involving Chelsea as Mauricio Pochettino believes in areas the team has overlooked recently

Just what might happen? These two seemingly insignificant words can be used to ask questions that are both realistically based and tinged with reflection and hindsight. It can be applied in a variety of ways for Chelsea in the recent past.

What if they had made more of an effort to sign Aurelien Tchouameni rather than loaning out Saul Niguez? What if Carney Chukwuemeka had been trusted in midfield instead of another temporary addition, the completely forgettable Denis Zakaria, and Billy Gilmour had been given priority? Could Tammy Abraham have scored eight goals in the league without the club collapsing around him, as Romelu Lukaku did in 2021–2022?

Choices, choices, choices. Chelsea has recently made a lot of poor decisions. In the twelve months between their transfers to and from Stamford Bridge, was Kalidou Koulibaly truly a better choice than Fikayo Tomori? What in the world was going on with David Zappacosta, and how did Christian Pulisic survive for such a long time?

These transactions transcend eras, ownership changes, and sporting directors while succinctly capturing the downturn that accompanied the end of the Roman Abramovich era and the beginning of the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital one. Perhaps, just possibly, some of the clarity has changed.

Saying that about a team that traded for over ten players this summer—among them, one they acquired less than a year ago and eight who were legitimately first-team options in May—is peculiar. Plans haven’t always been clear, and the movement at the top of the club has been nothing short of extremely unsettling. However, there has been a merciless ark that split with Graham Potter and Thomas Tuchel, placing little importance on sentimentality. A disorganized plan is still a plan.

Whether this is the case or not is probably still too early to tell, and Mauricio Pochettino’s early tenure has shown both the club’s current problems and its potential. What he has accomplished,

In a perfect world, he might have decided to keep Mason Mount or let Lewis Hall stay over the summer, but for the most part, the choices made have been in line with the goal of developing a young team full of eager players. But the question of these players’ origins has been a recurring one.

Back in the summer of 2020, Kai Havertz and Timo Werner, who were both young when they arrived, would undoubtedly have been among the names that Boehly-Clearlake would have also admired in that setting. It is important to note that the two did win the Champions League for the team and had important, if erratic, roles in the lineup before criticizing them too harshly.

Before Havertz’s thrilling game-winning goal, Werner squandered two excellent opportunities in Porto; nevertheless, the two finished with 30 league goals in 159 games together. In just 166 games, Jorginho, a midfielder who essentially only scores penalties, has 21.

The opportunities provided and the fallout from their underwhelming performance are more of the issue here than the signings themselves. Havertz and Werner each had two and three-year stints at Chelsea before Abraham and Callum Hudson-Odoi were let go.

Because of their youth system experience, that pair was relatively inexpensive, and it would be difficult for them to produce less than that. This ignores the fact that they earn far less money overall and are responsible for two

While Marc Guehi and Tomori were sold before him, Koulibaly played in defense. Following two protracted injuries, Wesley Fofana was signed off and hasn’t played much since. While he is undoubtedly a fantastic player, Chelsea had two England internationals in their ranks and are currently waiting for Fofana to return in order to get better value for their money.

Though his role waned as he approached his 30s, Tino Livramento is a readymade replacement who has moved twice in the time it took Cesar Azpilicueta to depart. Malo Gusto has been a commendable backup to Reece James this season and was far from expensive. Using the academy in this manner is not only completely ineffective, but it also

Hall looked more capable, adaptable, and at ease on his Chelsea debut, which came months after Marc Cucurella moved from Brighton. For this reason, the tradition and belief that Cobham players need to be superior to their competitors in every way persist. Undoubtedly, this is backwards.

Over the summer, the same can be said, and Conor Gallagher is the ideal illustration. Even though Mount scored eight goals while on loan at Crystal Palace in 2021–2022, he was the only player in the entire squad to score more at Stamford Bridge. N’Golo Kante, Jorginho, and Mateo Kovacic combined for ten goals. Havertz scored eight, Werner, Hakim Ziyech, and Pulisic each scored six.

Although there are exceptions, evaluating Kovacic, Kane, and Jorginho solely on goals is an undervaluation of their abilities and does point to more serious squad building problems. The cost of running these “stars,” who generally did not perform like stars, is exorbitant. It costs almost nothing to trust Gallagher.

However, when the previous season began under Thomas Tuchel, Gallagher was dropped from his starting spot and utilized sparingly, almost as a trade, while Havertz, Pulisic, and Ziyech all stuck around. Kovacic and Kante left this summer, and Jorginho wasn’t sold until January.

The shocking performances of the previous season contributed to the culling that took place under Pochettino, but it was concerning how easily Chelsea fell into the trap of sticking with their already aging 2021 Champions League winning core despite the lack of signs that domestic success was imminent.

In 2022, under extraordinary circumstances, the squad disintegrated. Even though Havertz has only once outscored Gallagher in goals scored, he was given many more opportunities to prove himself and get his money’s worth, while the 23-year-old midfielder was forced to play with leftovers.

Obviously, it would be advantageous to turn this process around and give those who come from within and cost significantly less the greater opportunity to succeed rather than

It needs to change that players who have had a more difficult journey to get to this point, such as Gallagher, Ian Maatsen, and soon to be others in the squad before it is too late, have experienced this. Gallagher is putting up numbers to support his appearance that suggests he is ready to be a dominant player in the league in his second year at Chelsea. He needed some time to adjust, which is something that new hires who aren’t academy graduates frequently get, but he made it.

This treatment is what must be the standard; it almost seems as though it will continue to improve under Pochettino and possibly even more so under the new owners. It’s still far too simple to dismiss academy players as subpar while having faith in the lavishly assembled others; it’s easier to wish for Havertz’s best work than to have faith in Gallagher’s progress.

Even though he consistently performs well in all leagues, Ian Maatsen is currently one of those who has to watch on as left-sided attacking and defensive options fall short. An approach that takes him into consideration will be necessary, if it’s not too late, before the next great talent is lost for the next great hope.