Joe Cole has named Robert Lewandowski and John Stones his two dream signings for Chelsea this summer after urging the club to change their transfer policy.
Under the BlueCo ownership led by Behdad Eghbali’s Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly, Chelsea have targeted elite young talent on long-term contracts with their oldest recruit last summer Joao Pedro at the age of 24.
While the club did return to the Champions League this season, their swift and brutal last 16 exit at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain underlined the gulf in class between them and Europe’s elite. Having lost their last three Premier League games on the bounce, Liam Rosenior’s side are now in a desperate scrap to qualify for Europe’s premier club competition again next season.
With the current recruitment policy perhaps not paying off, Egbhali has suggested the club will target ‘ready-made’ players this summer to take the Blues ‘to the next level.’
Cole, who won three Premier League titles during Chelsea’s most successful era, believes the current squad is crying out for experience and leadership in defence and up front.
Lewandowski is coming to the end of an extraordinary career with his contract at Barcelona expiring at the end of the current campaign. At 37, the former Bayern Munich star is still a potent goal threat with 17 in 40 appearances to his name this season.
Stones meanwhile has been an integral figure under Pep Guardiola at City but is another who is set to become a free agent at the end of the season.
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While injuries have limited him to just 15 appearances, this term, Cole believes the 31-year-old can still play a key role on guiding a young Chelsea defence.
‘We need experience, someone to come in and support the young players,’ Cole exclusively told Metro when asked for his dream signings this summer.
‘I would be looking at Lewandoski. If his contract is up at Barcelona, get him in for a year.
‘That could work, someone to come in and help the young players. He is a big name, has that stature and would be a huge presence in the dressing room. I think he could really help Joao Pedro and Liam Delap.
‘John Stones as well maybe if City let his contract expire. He is another who could be an big presence in the dressing room, to help and nurture the great young centre-halves we have at Chelsea. He might not be able to play 50 or 60 games anymore but will improve players around him.’
Arsenal and Manchester City have led the way in getting football operations off the pitch right in recent years with Manchester United getting their act together somewhat last summer.
While Cole believes a change in how Chelsea go about their recruitment would produce results, he is not convinced it starts this summer.
‘I would welcome it but I don’t think it will happen,’ he said. ‘They will be financial decisions again. Arsenal and Manchester City have been run smoothly to build a football team on the grass. Obviously there is business in place these days because clubs are huge cooperate entities. But unless Chelsea do that fully, they will struggle.
‘You still have to get the right players in. If the right players is 28 years-old and costs a fortune, you buy the right player. Buy the right players to build the team.’
Cole has partnered up with Samsung for their Raise The Bar initiative to lead a search for local pubs needing a TV upgrade in time for England’s World Cup campaign this summer.
‘Nothing beats live sport, especially when it is England and international football,’ Cole said. ‘We are calling on fans to nominate their local to win thousands of pounds worth of new tech so they can hopefully watch England lift the trophy in style this summer.’
To get behind your local and ‘Raise the Bar’ for its World Cup coverage, people can vote here: watchitonasamsung.com
