Transfer Ban- A Blessing in Disguise for Chelsea?

Amidst all the chaos emerging at Stamford Bridge due to appalling results, the club now finds itself encompassed by another predicament. On the 22nd of this month, FIFA, after finding infringements in 29 cases regarding youth recruitment at Chelsea, handed the club a ban for two transfer windows.

Officials at Stamford Bridge, however, have urged that the club did not violate any norms and will file an appeal to FIFA. Chelsea, who are already miserably failing to confront the challenge posed by the likes of Liverpool, Man City, and Spurs, may further plummet down the table if not allowed the chance of adding required players to their squad.

Sarriball is struggling to impress

This recently developed situation poses a huge question mark on Maurizio Sarri's future at the club. Considering Chelsea's form in the past few months, it is quite easy to infer that the Italian is in dire need of players to implement his philosophy.

Sarri's arrival in West London was perceived to be the commencement of an evolving phase at Chelsea in which the club would adopt an attacking brand of football and endeavour to recoup the domination it initially had under Abramovich. Unfortunately, as has been the case with most managers working under Roman, Sarri finds himself on the cusp of dismissal from his position after just eight months.

Chelsea v Malmo FF - UEFA Europa League Round of 32: Second Leg

Arguably, Sarri's delayed appointment in summer followed by the late arrival of players who were involved in the world cup gave him very little time to accustom the team to his style of play. Nevertheless, his stubbornness to not amend the game plan in spite of abysmal results have raised apprehensions about his managerial qualities.

Perhaps, a couple more transfer windows and a full pre-season with the team is what the former Napoli boss needed, but the latest occurrences at the club have destroyed his hopes of getting the desired players, and with Sarri unwilling to put faith in the youth despite consistent substandard performances from senior players, the sack seems inevitable.

What are the positives for Chelsea in this situation?

Beneath the multiple layers of complications that atmosphere the air at the West London club, lies a small ray of hope. Often in football, big clubs have to go through a period of reincarnation. While Manchester United are struggling to conquer that stage, Liverpool have been stagnating there for the last thirty years.

Few other clubs like Spurs, go through a similar process to achieve the same heights. Wealthy clubs like Man City can surmount a majority of that prolonged procedure. Chelsea just like City clocked a remarkably less time in their race to glory due to their money spending power; however, the West Londoners have now probably reached a point from where they need to restart.

Chelsea are no longer a force they once were

Unlike the early years of the Abramovich era, the blues are no longer massive money spenders nor do they attract the calibre of players they once used to, which has resulted in the signing of numerous average players like Drinkwater, Zappacosta, Bakayoko, and Emerson. The pool of average players on top of a few world-class performers like Hazard and Kante has limited the opportunities for the supremely talented youth players at Chelsea to get sufficient minutes in the first team.

Managers at the club in recent years, faced by the pressure to deliver instant success, prefer not experimenting with inexperienced young players. Moreover, there is no proper structure or tradition at the club to integrate the young buds with the senior team. Most of them spend 3-4 seasons on loan at various clubs before being shipped in exchange for money. Presence of a world-class academy at Chelsea ensures that the club never runs out of this business.

Chelsea fans are often furious with the club's methodologies and are eager to see homegrown players get a chance to prove themselves. With the blues now facing a transfer ban, the youngsters might finally get the chance they have long deserved. More than 40 footballers are spending the season on loan from Chelsea at various clubs, and a majority of them have come through the academy.

On top of this, other highly rated players like Ruben Loftus Cheek, Ethan Ampadu and Callum Hudson Odoi have spent most of the season on the bench despite showing promise when handed the minutes. Andreas Christensen who thrived under Antonio Conte last season and seemingly broke the youth curse has featured in just two premier league games despite the team's ill-performing defence.

Hudson Odoi was looking for a move to Bayern following lack of playing time

Several other Chelsea youngsters have sparkled this season on loan. Tammy Abraham has been prolific in the championship scoring 20 goals in 26 appearances. Midfielder Mason Mount has been learning the trade under blues legend Frank Lampard and has proved to be a sublime creator. Both Reece James and Trevoh Chalobah, who played as defenders for the Chelsea U-19 side have received huge admiration for their performances.

Undoubtedly, it is a highly intricate job to accommodate so many nurturing stars in the senior team in a single season, but if the West Londoners don't consider taking a step towards it now, it is unlikely that they are ever going to use their army of brilliant young footballers.

Conclusion

Although the Chelsea board has never had the audacity to guarantee minutes to teenagers in the senior team, they must use their loan army to stabilize the ship. Denying opportunities to the Chelsea youth under these conditions will surely drive them away from West London and could further hamper the future of the club.

With Maurizio Sarri most likely to go, and the inability to procure top footballers for the next two windows improbable to attract any other top candidate for Sarri's job, the blues should now be looking to bring in a young driven manager to mould their talented young stars into a world-class team in the coming years. Their academy team has won the last five FA cups and the club has enough players capable of delivering umpteen success if guided properly.