It is common sense, as perceived by many football fans, that you do not sell a player to a direct rival. This window has seen two such exchanges in the Premier League: Matic to Manchester United and Oxlade-Chamberlain to Liverpool.
But, should the clubs be castigated for selling to a direct rival? Obviously. You would expect mayhem if Alexis Sanchez ended up joining Spurs in the next transfer window; that’s borderline betrayal, so to speak.
It would lead to immense rioting among the Arsenal fans, and their response will no doubt affect Alexis mentally.
Let’s be honest, Chelsea were looking to offload Matic, as they had their eyes set on Bakayoko for quite some time.
Bakayoko’s tenure at Monaco made him a wanted man across Europe. The tall Frenchman is an intimidating presence in midfield. He takes up different roles in midfield owing to his versatile skill set. He has elicited comparisons to Yaya Toure due to his ability to impact a game, tactically and physically. Monaco manager, Leonardo Jardim said:
“He wins a lot of balls, brings balance to the team. He passes the ball well and wins his duels. That is Bakayoko’s role.”
It is indeed true. In Monaco’s successful UEFA Champions League campaign last season, the success of their midfield was vital. Bakayoko’s role of a destroyer and interceptor was widely praised as he was only behind Gabi and his current Chelsea teammate, Danny Drinkwater for when it came to interceptions.
That was precisely the role of Matic in Chelsea’s midfield last season. The interest in Bakayoko might have had an impact on Matic, and he jumped to the opportunity of teaming up with Jose Mourinho, yet again.
When a player is deemed surplus to requirement, selling him to your cross-town rivals may not hurt as much. It is a calculated risk one can take, provided a replacement has been worked out, as in Chelsea’s case.
Lescott says Chelsea should be applauded for letting Matic move to a club he wanted to, after telling him he could leave.
He says, “I know it’s going to sound strange me saying this, but I think Chelsea do deserve some credit in the fact that they made it clear to the player they didn’t want him and then they didn’t hinder him going to his destination of choice”.
While Matic has fit into Manchester United’s system with relative ease, almost as if he was the missing link in their midfield, it is still early on in the season to call it a mistake on Chelsea’s part.
Would it prove to be a costly decision? We shall have to wait for the end of the season to find out.
