Chelsea are currently only four points behind Manchester City for the top of the Premier League table, but Blues boss Maurizio Sarri seems to perceive a much bigger chasm than that. There had been gossip of Stamford Bridge splashing the cash this January transfer window, ahead of concerns they could get hit with Financial Fair Play violations, and thus a transfer ban down the line.
However, the comments Sarri made about the transfer market at his weekly news conference seem to throw a lot of cold water on that concept. Chelsea will take on Tottenham Hotspur on later today in the weekend’s biggest Premier League clash. City, looking like world beaters as usual, took a 3-0 lead into halftime over West Ham United at the London Stadium.
Sarri was asked if making some additions in the January window would propel Chelsea into a stronger title challenger.
“Not at the moment, no,” he responded.
“I believe in another (method of) football. It’s impossible to recover only via the market. “Maybe you are able to buy two or three very important players, but maybe one is not suitable for your team. So it’s not easy, also, by the market. We have to work.”
Over the years, Sarri has made no bones about how he feels about the transfer market, and this level of skepticism certainly conforms to the motif.
While Chelsea are undefeated this season, they did finish 30 points behind City last campaign, so you can kind of understand where he’s coming from in regards to the gulf between the two teams.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with News Now. Banks, a former writer for NBC Chicago.com and Chicago Tribune.com, regularly appears as a guest pundit on WGN CLTV and co-hosts the “Let’s Get Weird, Sports” podcast on SB Nation.
He also contributes sociopolitical essays to Lineups.com and Chicago Now. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. The content of his cat’s Instagram account is unquestionably superior to his.