Todd Boehly must battle Roman Abramovich transfer legacy as Chelsea face Neymar opportunity
Neymar to Chelsea would feel like a move orchestrated during the Roman Abramovich era. A
superstar, particularly one of older age, arriving at Stamford Bridge nearer the end of his career.
The Blues under Abramovich have a mostly poor tradition
of buying targets years too late once their peak years are behind them.
Although the Brazillian superstar would attract attention and
likely break social media, giving Chelsea's new ownership group led by
Todd Bohely the "marquee signing", any lure over making a statement acquisition
should be balanced against where the club has gone wrong in the final years of Abramovich.
Despite a reported friendship between Thomas Tuchel
and Neymar after their time working together at PSG,
the struggles of Romelu Lukaku should be a great template for what the Blues must avoid.
That is, even before you get into the ludicrous finances,
a deal for a player of Neymar's reputation would demand.
His 2017 transfer from Barcelona to PSG stands as the most expensive ever at £200m million.
With his weekly wages like to a half-a-million,
for an era that will likely aim to act more shrewdly in the market, this would scupper
those ambitions from the get-go, even if the marketability of the player is clear.
Chelsea needs competency moving forward in the transfer window
if they aim to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City. The likes of Neymar and
Kylian Mbappe would likely never get near Anfield due to FSG's approach to transfers,
but that does not mean you cannot find the transformative quality to elevate your system.
The 30-year-old has only played 22 league games this season for PSG
and has a growing track record of injuries that have plagued recent seasons, the outlay
on wages would be better spent on players across Chelsea's squad who more suit the style of play.
If Tuchel and the new hierarchy are set on a new attacker, targeting a younger name who
Tuchel likes in Ousmane Dembele would be a smarter play given his contract situation with Barcelona
and the profile of the winger offering something new to Chelsea's struggling attack.
A defensive midfielder, a new centre-back or wingback cover for Ben Chilwell and
Reece James all feel more of a priority than a lavish expenditure.
For all of the silverware gained in the Abramovich era, one lesson the new era should seriously take
on board is the wasted funds on players that only hurt
the chemistry within the squad, even if that player was deemed one of the continent's best.
Systems trump superstars, which PSG's continued failings in the Champions League
demonstrate despite their unwillingness to stop breaking new transfer records.
Chelsea needs to act smartly. The years of major blunders in the market must be
banished to the past. Going all out for Neymar would set Tuchel's squad further backwards.