What’s next for Chelsea?

The champions kicked off to a very slow start to the season, picking up only one point from a potential six. On top of that, a draw or loss at the Hawthorns on Sunday could see this become the worst Premier League start Chelsea have faced over the last 17 years. Is this a representation for the season to come or can the “Special One” turn things around for the men in blue?

A disappointing beginning to the season saw Chelsea clutch onto a single point at the Bridge and lost 3-0 at the Etihad. The home side were arguably lucky to get a draw after first choice keeper Thibaut Courtois made a rash tackle on striker Bafétimbi Gomis, resulting in a straight red and a penalty. A struggling Chelsea were very lucky to keep it at a draw but were able to pull through with the final result ending in 2-2. Having supported a team with an undefeated home season run, this was a rare sight for those home fans. To make matters worse, Chelsea faced a very in form Manchester City the following weekend who had comfortably beaten West Brom 3-0 in their opening match. With Courtois’s game ban appeal rejected,  this was not the most suitable time to face the men in light blue. Consequently, a very weak, out of place Chelsea side were unable to hold back the numerous attacking chances from Aguero which finally ended by conceding a goal, followed by goals from Fernandinho and Kompany. Cue alarm bells for Mourinho and co.

Mourinho has been very busy since, announcing the signing of Left Back Baba Rahman for a reported fee of £21.7m from Augsburg instantly after the City game. The relatively unheard of 21 year-old managed to shine in the Bundesliga, registering more tackles (108) than any other player, winning 90 of them which gives him an extraordinary tackle success rate of 83%. A player that rarely leaves a tackle without the ball. Moving away from his defensive capabilities, the new addition could provide an interesting dynamic partnership with Eden Hazard on the Left Wing, with both players expressing very good pace, many teams will undoubtedly find them a problem to defend.

Baba Rahman is an exciting prospect to Chelsea and some report that he could feature in the upcoming weekend game. This comes after alleged rumours of the axing of Ivanovic following two poor performances, of which mistakes were made by him that directly ended up in goals against the side. With no extension to his contract seen near the horizon, this could be the end for the Serbian, as a shadow begins to cast over his future at Chelsea . However with the erratic (unpredictable) Mourinho, we can only wait and see.

However, the West London side haven’t stopped there. Pedro who allegedly was close to making a deal with Manchester United was officially announced by Chelsea on Friday for a reported fee of 30 million euros with 3 million of those dependable on Pedro’s performance. This comes after conversations with Mourinho and old Barcelona team mate Cesc Fabregas persuading him to join the London side. Magical stuff from Mourinho who managed to see this deal through in a matter of hours rather than United who have been clawing after him since the beginning of the transfer season. This new addition means Chelsea now have 5 potential right wing players. An interesting move, since Mourinho when previously asked about singings in this position replied by saying that they now had too many and weren’t in the market for more.