The Decline of Chelsea FC: How the Bomb Squad is driving the club away from footballing principles

It has been reported that there are only two more days left for the Saudi Pro League's market to remain open. However, there seems to be a lack of enthusiasm from both the players frozen out by Chelsea management and the clubs interested in signing them, aside from Harvey Vale and Al Ettifaq.

Eleven now appears the common consensus: Ben Chilwell, Raheem Sterling, Trevoh Chalobah, Carney Chukwuemeka, David Datro Fofana, Armando Broja, Angelo Gabriel, Deivid Washington, Alex Matos, Harvey Vale and Lukas Bergstrom have now been left in London over the last 24 hours by Kepa Arrizabalaga (Bournemouth), Romelu Lukaku (Napoli) and Djordje Petrovic (Strasbourg).

Tribalfootball.com also being told you can add Cesare Casadei to the transfer-list, with the midfielder having little chance of regular football this season as a Blue.

Beyond the personalities, the politics... and the PFA, what is striking about this list is how many of these players - and those whom have already been moved on - were recent additions. Players who were scouted and signed - from all over the globe - by the current management team: namely Chelsea's co-sporting directors Lawrence Stewart and Paul Winstanley. The bomb squad. The bloated numbers. The crowded dressing rooms at Cobham. The need for players to change gear in the halls. We can go on... but all of this is the responsibility of Stewart and Winstanley. After last season's complaints that reached the press from within the Blues locker room. And the outrage it generated. It's clear the top brass couldn't give two figs about such crazy numbers.

But for this column, it will catch up to them. Through reputation. Through results. Through morale and club culture. This madness. This woeful way of treating players, particularly young players, it will catch up to them.

Chukwuemeka. Washington. Angelo. Matos. Fofana. All Stewart-Winstanley signings. All having been signed within the past two years. And all now written off as Chelsea players. No chance of being brought through. No opportunity to learn. To experience the highs and endure the lows of being a young pro. No patience, nor belief, shown in their potential. Just bought and due to be sold as a commodity. 

At a normal club. A proper football club. A Chukwuemeka would be shown patience. He would be allowed the room to fail. To get up. And try again. He would be granted the time to develop his craft. A late bloomer. An early prospect. It wouldn't matter. A player of Carney's talent would be given the scope and support to prove himself a first team prospect. Ditto Angelo. Washington.

But not at Chelsea. Not only are you written off within 12 months of arrival. But you're bombed out of the senior set-up and told to train elsewhere. There's no specialist coaching. No support. Carlo Cudicini, the club's loan chief, instead is running training for those frozen out. It's basically: keep yourself fit, keep yourself ticking over and find yourself a new club. As we say, this will catch up to Chelsea.

And what about the senior players? Sterling, Chilwell, Chalobah... again, at a proper football club, under a proper manager, they'd be given their chance to adjust to a new system. Just think of Sergio Aguero and Pep Guardiola. Or James Milner and Jurgen Klopp. But under Enzo Maresca and with the backing of Stewart and Winstanley, there's no time for such patience. No faith or belief that such players can adjust to a new system. Again, it's crazy. Mad. And it will catch up on this club.

For this column, a Guardiola would never consider working for this Chelsea. Nor a Klopp. They see football for what it is. Something deeper, far deeper, than simply business. Not something cold, transactional. Which is what we're seeing from Chelsea today.

And this is where they'll be hurt. The very best, they won't want to be associated with such a club. Managers. Young players... their families... they will be warned off. Why take the chance, at 18 years of age, to sign for Chelsea when you could be written off and training on your own within 12 months? Why as a senior player would you choose Chelsea when you could find yourself being treated like Sterling or, before him, Kalidou Koulibaly? 

Victor Osimhen. Ivan Toney. Nico Williams. Perhaps the message is starting break through? Either way, as we've reasoned in past columns, this isn't how successful football clubs work. Football, even at the very top level, is more than a business. It's about the intangibles. The emotion. The tradition. The human connection. All qualities that the Chelsea of 2024 are displaying less and less as the days go by.