It is safe to say that Chelsea need to sign some experienced and proven players this summer. The reports coming out have suggested that the Blues will be looking at those who have played in the top five leagues and also in Europe simultaneously, and that knowledge of having to deal with both at the same time is believed to be vital in their search.
It remains to be seen how successful Chelsea are when it comes to signing such players. And it will also be interesting to see what fits their definition of ‘ready-made’.
Is it players who have played a bit of football at the top level? Or is it those who have proven themselves as winners at top clubs? There is a difference between someone with a couple of seasons of experience for a mid-table Premier League and one with a couple of Champions League trophies under their belt with Real Madrid, that is for sure.
Also, when it comes to signing players, it looks like Chelsea cannot help themselves. If reports coming out of Germany are accurate, they are leading the race to sign a winger with just one season of experience in the Bundesliga.
Chelsea leading race to sign German winger
According to SportBILD (via Sport Witness), Chelsea have indicated in talks that they will outbid Brighton this summer in the race for Said El Mala. In fact, their plan would be to then loan the winger back to Cologne for another year.
Obviously, Chelsea need to strengthen on the left flank after neither Alejandro Garnacho nor Jamie Gittens have met expectations at the club. Under different circumstances, we would probably have been excited by the prospect of signing someone of El Mala’s talent.
That being said, Chelsea have signed far too many inexperienced players based on potential. Most of those moves have not worked out. And El Mala might not either.
El Mala is a phenomenal talent but might not meet Chelsea’s current needs
In his debut season in the Bundesliga, El Mala has scored 12 goals and provided five assists in 18 starts. That is excellent. For any winger.
But for youngsters to develop into top senior level players, they need to be provided the right conditions. Those might not be present at Chelsea right now.
There are no proven veterans who can guide the team through tough times. And the pressure is going to be immense to deliver from the get-go, after four unsuccessful seasons.
Then there is the financial situation of the club. Can Chelsea afford to sign somebody and send him back on loan right now, when they need immediate quality and have a limited budget to attain that?
