As International Break is upon us to rescue Chelsea, we have to dig deeper into the positives and negatives in this campaign, and evaluate where the club went wrong, and what they did right. Given that the Blues sit in 16th place, it’s easy to dwell on all the negatives that have occurred since they won the title not too long ago.
The lack of transfer activity, the injuries, and the poor form of several top players have plagued the West Londoners and left them crippled in the bottom half of the table. However, there were a few positive things that were accomplished over the same time period, and one of those is the signing of Asmir Begovic from Stoke City.
This transfer was overshadowed at the time by Chelsea’s lack of transfer activity and the frustration that comes along with it. Furthermore, allowing Petr Cech to leave brought about a lot of controversy and negative feeling, especially since his destination was Arsenal. The move to North London made his move away from Stamford Bridge even more contentious.
Yet, he hasn’t been missed at all this season, minus his leadership qualities. Why is that? Asmir Begovic. The signing of the Bosnian shot stopper.
for Chelsea absolutely made the Cech departure disappear from Mourinho’s list of problems. The Blues were lucky to sign the 28-year-old from Stoke, given they were only offering him the chance to deputize Courtois. The Belgian had already forced out one of the world’s best in Cech, and the backup position at Stamford Bridge didn’t seem favorable.
Not many people would have predicted what would happen next. Courtois went down with a large injury, and Chelsea were forced to turn to their new signing to hold down the fort. Despite Chelsea’s poor defensive record this season, the Bosnian has done just that. Begovic has been brilliant, proving to the world that he is better than most people initially thought.
Chelsea could have been forced to play 22-year old Jamal Blackman. Instead, they deploy one of the world’s finest goalkeepers as a backup instead. That is the Mourinho effect.
The ability to lure one of the Premier League’s best shot stoppers to Stamford Bridge as a backup. Chelsea made a £4 million profit on the Cech sale and the purchase of Begovic. That’s shrewd business. Had Mourinho been allowed to fulfill his other transfer goals, Chelsea would be in a very different place this season.
It could even be argued that Begovic’s move to Stamford Bridge stopped David De Gea’s move to Real Madrid. It was understood that Manchester United saw the Bosnian as a potential replacement for the De Gea if he moved to Spanish Capital. However, with no natural replacement identified, Manchester United “accidentally” (totally on purpose) didn’t handle the proper paperwork, ensuring De Gea’s failed transfer.
Overall, the Blues have benefitted immensely from Begovic’s presence at Stamford Bridge. If Chelsea were playing better overall, we may be talking about the Bosnian being the signing of the season.
However, his transfer has been far overshadowed by the Blues abysmal form. It’s important to remember transfer victories like this when considering Mourinho’s future in West London. These are the moves he’s capable of. It’s worth backing him to see what the Portuguese tactician has up his sleeve to turn around Chelsea’s fortunes over the next few transfer windows.
