A BRIDGE TOO FAR?
Who’s next? Can they convince Craig Gordon to reverse his recent retirement? Invite Bolo Zenden back for a second spell at Stamford Bridge? Get Kieran Richardson to replace Marc Cucurella? Chelsea really have cooked up a fascinating transfer policy: to recreate the Sunderland XI that triumphed 3-0 at the Bridge in November 2010. Danny Welbeck, 19 and on loan from Manchester United, sealed victory that day; Jordan Henderson, 20 and days away from his England debut, ran things in the middle alongside Lee Cattermole. Sixteen years later, Welbeck and Henderson are teammates once again, brought together by Chelsea’s sudden realisation that Alan Hansen had a point.
Henderson continues to surprise with his post-Liverpool career path, swapping Dammam for Amsterdam before exploring the different corners of west London, all in the space of three years. How can one say no to the charms of Xabi Alonso? “Given the size of the club, the manager, who I have great admiration for, and the quality of the players, this was a huge opportunity I couldn’t turn down,” Henderson bellowed, before awarding BlueCo a medal for participation. “I was also so impressed with how much the ownership want Chelsea to be successful and move in the right direction.”
It’ll take some time getting used to Henderson in blue, though you wonder just how much we’ll see of him on the pitch, his reputation nowadays less focused on what he does with the ball at his feet. Now it’s all about his role as The Standard Setter, the peace lily that brings a dressing room together. “The best guy I’ve ever come across I think in football,” cooed Morgan Rogers while on duty for England this summer, a view also taken by Jude Bellingham. Chelsea’s new record signing will surely welcome the soothing instructions of Hendo at Cobham.
The club’s pivot in transfer strategy is, of course, incredibly amusing: spending gargantuan sums on young talent before clocking on to the grand idea that not all of your first-team players should be eligible for a railcard. And even then, old habits die hard: the signing of Welbeck is yet another from Brighton, following the same path taken in recent seasons by Cucurella, Moisés Caicedo, Robert Sánchez and João Pedro. It all makes for a spectacular act of plagiarism, with Alonso’s Chelsea combining the Tony Bloom project down south with a flavour of Steve Bruce’s Sunderland. Football Daily looks forward to reading about Nedum Onuoha in Wednesday’s Rumour Mill.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I was not involved in this strategic plan and first became aware of the project through media reports. The decision to withdraw the project was absolutely necessary and beyond question, because I firmly believe in an independent Fifa that serves our game with commitment, transparency, and integrity” – Arsène Wenger, these days Fifa’s chief of global development, puts a metaphorical moat between himself and his president, Gianni Infantino. Fifa secretary general Mattias Grafström, Infantino’s No 2, has also called the failed World Cup private investment plan a “sad and reproachable series of events”.
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“Whoever wrote the Uefa statements over the weekend deserves a pay rise. Crystal clear messages, each line dripping with contempt and – for once – speaking for millions of football fans. ‘Thou shalt not pass’ at its best” – Gabriele Weber.
“The sublime Marcus Stewart scored for Huddersfield at Wolverhampton in September 1999, the game’s only goal, with a Panenka. Steve Bruce, his manager, said that, if he ever tried to do that again, he’d chip him. He took the warning seriously and didn’t try another even after Bruce left the club. Please give this a little space in your diary; not for my sake, but for Marcus’s, as he contends with the most appalling illness” – Richard Askham.
“Has anyone ever seen Infantino and The Hood from Thunderbirds in the same room?” – Craig Fawcett.
If you have any, please send letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s prizeless letter o’ the day goes to … Gabriele Weber. Terms and conditions for our competitions, when we run them, are here.
