Trust Jose Mourinho and Chelsea to come out with a big block of quotes while I'm hungover. The Chelsea FC official site has plenty of words from the manager, including quite a lot on the subject of transfers. Specifically, he talks about wanting to upgrade the squad:
I'm just a Chelsea manager; every one of us is looking always to strengthen our squad. We all say no but we lie, because until the last day when the market is open we are all waiting for something to happen.
Even when we say we are happy with our squad we lie because we always want to make it better, so we'll see what happens, not just with us but with Manchester United and everybody else as well.
We all know that managers who say they're happy with what they have are lying, so it's not like we've learned anything here. But it's nice that he's honest, and it sounds like we should be bracing ourselves for Chelsea to be active in the transfer market until the window closes in September. The second quote is more interesting:
This club did fantastic work and put ourselves in a position where we have a fantastic balance, the club is in perfect conditions to say we don't want to sell this player or that player.
David Luiz is one of the players in whom the club made a huge investment; he's not been here for seven, eight, nine or 10 years, he's only been here for a couple of years. He's a very young player; he's a player that signed a new contract last year, so when he signed that contract he was very happy to do it.
We want to keep him, we understand that a big club like Barcelona wants the best and they are trying to buy one of the best central defenders in the world, but we are being very honest in saying there is no chance David Luiz is leaving.
This isn't really about David Luiz, whom Mourinho has repeatedly said is not for sale. This is about the club's position in the transfer market, where they won't be forced to sell players they don't want to. 'Balance' isn't simply economic here -- it's about ensuring that key players are always on long-term deals so that they can't force their way out of the club.
We all know that Chelsea aren't at the very pinnacle of desirability for players. The club doesn't get talked in the same hushed tones as, say, Real Madrid. But it's important to remember that players don't tend to leave the club unless the club wants them gone. Wealthy teams inspire loyalty in their players, and Chelsea's core has never been seriously under threat over the past decades despite containing some very desirable players. Remember that when you next fear for David Luiz or Eden Hazard's future -- this club is excellent at keeping its stars around.