Halfway through the month, Chelsea appear to be quite relaxed about the January transfer window, despite spending the time and effort to appeal the transfer ban and see it successfully halved. Perhaps it was the principle of the thing, more than anything else.
How relaxed? At the start of Friday’s pre-match press conference, Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck even cracked a joke about it — “by the way, whoever asked me who we are signing: I do know, but I’m not going to tell you!” — which Lampard then quickly laughed off as well. Everyone’s a comedian!
Of course, with the club doing quite alright so far this season, certainly meeting baseline expectations of a top-four spot and Champions League knockout round football, there’s no real need for any panic signings. And the first-year head coach also wants his first big signing for the club to be the best possible signing, be that with long-term or short-term goals in mind.
“I think I should be [happy if we don’t sign anyone] because that’s where we’re at at the moment. If it feels right for us, then we’ll do it.”
“The idea of January being a time to buy players, it’s difficult for everybody – for players coming in, especially if they’re coming from a different league, for the club and for the settlement of the group. That’s why we have to think ultra carefully and I do care and consider the club and where we’re going. I don’t want to make some knee-jerk reaction to say ‘here’s my first big signing’ because we couldn’t sign anyone in the summer.
”No, I want to do the right thing for the club. That’s why if I do it I’ll try and consider all things. It will always be in communication with the club. Hopefully, it’s the best thing for us. Whether that’s more of a short-term option or a long-term option, we’ll also have to consider.”
-Frank Lampard; source: Goal
So, keep that in mind as we enter the final two weeks of the transfer window. Rumors mill only increase, especially of the non-right-signing-kind, but perhaps we will heed the mantra of No Panic Buys/Loans this time around.