Todd Bohley Could Create a $77 Million-Plus Nightmare for His Future Sporting Director
For most football fans, the transfer window is a time of optimism and excitement. In theory, your favorite team could sign any player, provided the finances are right. Chelsea owner Todd Boehly appears to be testing the idea that money can be thrown at an issue.
Despite spending big bucks this summer, the Blues are currently linked with two attackers, Anthony Gordon and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with the reported price of those deals being at least $88 million. While that might seem like a reason for optimism – who wouldn’t want their favorite to bring in new players – it could also complicate Chelsea’s future.
Chelsea could spend big money on the duo of Anthony Gordon and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
During the summer transfer window, Chelsea allowed both Romelu Lukaku and Timo Werner to leave Stamford Bridge. While Raheem Sterling moved down from Manchester to provide a little more juice in attack, the Blues look to need a little more punch up front. Apparently, this reality hasn’t escaped Todd Boehly’s eye.
Throughout the window, the club have been linked to Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, the former Arsenal striker who is currently at Barcelona. While there are still some question marks surrounding the deal – the Gabon striker struggled at the end of his Premier League spell – the positives seem clear. Thomas Tuchel and Aubayemang have worked together in the past and the striker should fit right into Chelsea’s line-up.
According to Sky Sports, this deal will cost between $17 million and $30 million. However, that may not be the end of Chelsea’s spending.
The club are also reportedly interested in Everton’s Anthony Gordon and appear ready to pay the exorbitant price. As reported by The Athletic’s David Orenstein, Chelsea have announced they are ready to write a check for just under $60 million, with about $12 million more in add-ons.
The future Chelsea sporting director will have a lot of work for them
As we have already noted, spending money seems to be a positive development. Chelsea, as they are currently set up, is probably somewhere between the third and fifth best teams in England. While that’s not to be scoffed at, the Blues need to make some changes if they are to have a title shot or a serious run in the Champions League.
Despite all that, Boehly’s outputs are probably not ideal, especially if you continue some of the surrounding context.
First of all, in theory, Chelsea would like to become a more self-sufficient club. Boehly has a lot of wealth but he won’t (in theory) fund the club like Roman Abramovich. Second, Boehly acts as interim sporting director after Marina Granovskaia’s departure.
That second part, especially the word “interim,” is key. That means someone has to arrive at Stamford Bridge and take care of all the business Boehly has done.
Should the deals between Gordon and Aubameyang go through, this sporting director will face a number of issues. First, you’ll be dealing with two big attacking characters that don’t exactly fit together. Gordon has a lot of potential but still a lot of growth to find an ideal position and add more goals and assists to his game. Aubameyang, when at his best, is a pure goalscorer who doesn’t add much in the build-up.
How do these plays, one a long-term project and the other an immediate stopgap, fit with Raheem Sterling, Kai Havertz and Mason Mount? Your guess is as good as mine, but at this point the money is spent. (The same goes for players like Marc Cucurella, who overlaps with Ben Chilwell and seems to depend on having a coach who can play with three behind, but that’s another discussion.)
And on the subject of money, this sporting director is faced with some tricky fiscal realities. Chelsea don’t have a small payroll and when two more attackers arrive at Stamford Bridge it will only get bloated. In recent years, the club struggled to take on players from the previous regime. It’s hard to see that changing. Let’s imagine that Tuchel doesn’t make it past the end of the current season and the new boss wants to postpone Aubameyang to house a more complete striker. Will that even be possible without buying up his contract? ala Arsenal?
At this point in his tenure at Chelsea, it honestly feels like Todd Boehly is having fun and throwing his money around. However, the Blues’ current transfer window does not bode well for the future. Ultimately, the sporting director is tasked with cleaning up the current mess, but when push comes to shove, that’s all Boehly’s problem.
If something breaks down, all he has to do is look in the mirror.
Financial data converted to USD on 08/23/2022.
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