Chelsea have endured a rather troubled summer window and the Blues’ squad is looking very slim ahead of the new Premier League season, where Antonio Conte’s side start the defence of their crown with a home tie against Burnley tomorrow.
The Blues have improved their line-up with the additions of Antonio Rudiger, Tiemoue Bakayoko and Alvaro Morata, whilst Willy Caballero comes in as an understudy to Thibaut Courtois, but a wealth of summer departures has left the Chelsea squad looking very thin.
Diego Costa still looks to be on the way out after the Italian boss threw the Spanish striker under the bus early on in the transfer window but it’s the decision to sell Nemanja Matic to Manchester United that’s raised the most eyebrows.
Whilst the Serbian wasn’t a core member of Antonio Conte’s side last season, largely playing a bit-part role during the campaign, Matic’s move to Old Trafford significantly bolsters Jose Mourinho’s squad- which means the Blues have strengthened a direct rival.
The situation is entirely different to the decision to sell Petr Cech to Arsenal a few years back, where the veteran goalkeeper was given a free pass due to his years of service with the Blues, and the impact of Cech at the Emirates Stadium is arguably not as huge as the boost Matic can hand to Manchester United.
One of those being very vocal with his questions as to why Chelsea approved a sale is Blues legend Frank Lampard, who expressed his concerns to ESPN ahead of the new Premier League season.
‘I was surprised because selling to a direct rival isn’t the norm at the top end. It was a big deal when Chelsea sold Petr Cech to Arsenal. People at the club seemed to mull it over for quite a while and then out of respect for Petr and what he’d done, and the situation with [Thibaut] Courtois, they let him go.’
‘This doesn’t seem quite the same, but at the same time we don’t know whether Matic wanted to leave. Was it his dream to go and play for Manchester United? Did he want a new challenge at 29?’
‘There are a lot of variables that aren’t easy but from the outside, it does seem strange to let that player go to a direct rival — and he will improve them. It was certainly a position that Manchester United as a team needed to strengthen, and they’ve gone and done it with Matic.’
Whilst Chelsea did receive a large sum for Matic’s services, the Blues are struggling to put that money to good use and the remainder of the transfer window is set to be crucial.