There will not be many Chelsea fans out there who have not found the last few seasons very disappointing on a domestic Premier League performance level, as we have to nod to the 2020/21 Champions League and 2021 Super Cup successes, but the 2022/23 league finish can be best described as a disaster.
Following further big spending under Tood Boehly and the Clearlake Capital groups ownership, new manager Mauricio Pochettino is looking to draw a line in the sand in the coming campaign and one of the latest transfer window rumour mill suggestions is that we have an interest in Leeds United’s United States international Tyler Adams.
As we head towards the 2023/24 season properly, with current odds by bet365 USA and a few other New Jersey gambling websites of 16/1 to win the title outright and odds of 5/4 to have secured a top four spot with the talented squad we have, some will wonder if Adams fits into those expectations. The 24 year old Wappingers Falls born player will not change the needle much when it comes to match day odds with some UK bookies in the coming months, but if Pochettino feels he can add something to the squad – who are we to argue? And after our spending so far, if the board feel we can turn around a quick profit as he did catch the eye a few times as Leeds suffered relegation last term, either way it might be a win, win for us.
Following the departures of Mateo Kovacic, N’Golo Kante, Mason Mount and Ruben Loftus-Cheek so far this summer, it was well known that Brighton and Hove Albion’s Moses Caicedo was our top option to bolster midfield, but the transfer fee being talked about is astronomical. It was reported last week that Brighton had rejected a slightly new and improved £80 million offer for the 21 year old.
Adams would naturally represent far better value, even if they are arguably quite different players in how they were utilised on the pitch in 2022/23. Also in Adams’ favour is his valuation would have naturally dropped owing to the fact he is currently recovering from surgery on the hamstring injury that he picked up back in March, but equally it has been heavily claimed that upon Leeds’ return to the Championship, the USA captain saw a much lower relegation release fee kick in.
With 36 international caps to his name, it is not expected that he will regain full match fitness until after the start of the Championship campaign on August 6. With Leeds reportedly paying RB Leipzig £20 million to end his three year spell with them in the Bundesliga, any potential valuation he gained from impressing in his first year in the Premier League, that would be removed by the release fee as various outlets have suggested that Leeds simply wished to make their original outlay back if they did not manage to secure yet another season in the English top flight.
Whilst it seems Adams has been added to Pochettino’s potential transfer shortlist, Chelsea continue to be linked with having an interest in Ajax’s Edson Alvarez and La Liga’s Gabri Vega of Celta Vigo.
It is set to be a few interesting weeks yet with the transfer window not set to slam shut until the end of the month.
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