Stagnant Chelsea have handed Premier League rivals the initiative, says Martin Samuel
Sunday 13 September 2015 21:02, UK
Jose Mourinho has been let down by Chelsea's failure to recruit well during the summer transfer window, according to Martin Samuel of the Daily Mail.
Saturday's 3-1 Premier League defeat at Everton confirmed the Blues had made their worst start to a season since 1988, and the result at Goodison Park was amplified when Manchester City claimed their fifth consecutive win of the season to open up an 11-point gap over the defending champions.
And, speaking on the Sunday Supplement, Samuel highlighted Chelsea's failure to land their primary transfer targets in the summer, most notably John Stones, coupled with excessive spending from their Premier League rivals, as the reason for the Blues' toothless start to the campaign.
"Jose Mourinho didn't get the changes he wanted this summer because Chelsea did nothing compared to the other clubs," Samuel said.
"You could tell throughout the summer that he was becoming more and more frustrated, he wanted them to do something.
"There is only so much change a person can cause when you've got the same group of players. They haven't brought any one in.
"The changes Jose wanted to make were to do with signings and freshening the squad up. It is quite plain that there wasn't the overhaul he wanted.
"While it's OK to point the finger at Jose, I'm not sure he went into this season in the position he wanted to because he wouldn't have gone in with the same 11 players that started last season."
Chelsea's loan policy was next in the firing line, a policy which has been more as many as 30 players shipped out of the club on a temporary basis.
The policy has proved to be successful for the Blues in recent years, with Thibaut Courtois developing into one of Europe's best goalkeepers during his three-year stint at Atletico Madrid.
But Samuel took issue with the practise, claiming Chelsea have failed to take the measures necessary of winning, or at least challenging for the Premier League title.
"Chelsea seem very happy to be this 'player farm', where they have 30 different players out on loan," the Daily Mail's chief sports writer added.
"They seem to be so keen on replicating the Thibaut Courtois situation, where he cost them virtually nothing, as the loan fees paid by Atletico Madrid equated for the transfer fee they bought him for.
"That's ever so clever, apart from the fact they have stood still, and everyone around them didn't stand still.
"You knew Manchester City, who weren't subject to the limitations of Financial Fair Play, and Manchester United were going to go big this summer.
"No top club wants to stand still, every top club evolves in some little way the following season."
