Best and Worst Moves Chelsea Could Make in the Transfer Window – Bleacher Report

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The transfer window is open, and as the clock ticks down to the August 31 deadline, so the anticipation builds about the playersChelsea will or won't sign this summer.

Thus far, for all the rumours, there has been little activity at Stamford Bridge. It's been all mouth and no action, with the headlines not being backed up by solid news of player arrivals and departures.

Are Chelsea biding their time to announce the first signing? Are the Blues carefully planning their moves to position themselves as Premier League favourites in 2017/18? Are they without a plan?

Time will answer those questions, but as we anticipate what is to come, Bleacher Report looks at some of the best and worst moves Chelsea could make this summer.

Worst Move No. 1: Needlessly Sell Diego Costa

Chelsea's summer is shaping up to be one of texts, buys and videotape. And Diego Costa has been at the heart of it.

Will he stay, or will he go? That's what we've all been asking since the end of the 2016/17 campaign. Costa has fanned the flames, notably with his revelation that Chelsea boss Antonio Conte sent him a text message to confirm he is no longer needed at Stamford Bridge.

"You are not in my plan," was how Conte signed off his message to Costa, according to Luis Nieto ofAS. Should that be the case, it's a crying shame.

For all the negative headlines that surround the Spain international, his talent cannot be denied. He is an exceptional striker who has broken all sorts of records in his three seasons at Chelsea. He is a proven goalscorer, and players of his ilk are tough to unearth.

Not only that, but Costa's style lends itself to the way Chelsea play football. He's on the edge, pushing back the boundaries and limits of what's allowed, which is how this Blues side has been at its best.

Conte revolutionised the way Chelsea play last term. Unless he can bring in another striker to bully defenders in the way Costa does, allowing him to leave would be folly of the highest order.

The problem wasn't the forward last season; the issue Chelsea faced is he couldn't be dropped simply because there was no replacement to lead the line. His form suffered from January to March, yet he couldn't be rested.

Give him a proper supporting frontman,and we'll see the difference he can make. He's on the brink of greatness at Chelsea, and the club should be doing everything it can to repair any damage between player and manager.

Best Move: No. 1 Don't Sign Players Who Will Block the Youth Pathway

When Bertrand Traore was recently presented by Olympique Lyonnais as their latest capture, he was left echoing the sentiments of so many young Chelsea players before him.

"I wouldn't have got a fair chance," he said of the prospects of remaining at Stamford Bridge during his first press conference as a Lyon player. That has been the case for too long,and we've seen Chelsea miss out on some big stars who have departed prematurely.

That has to stop. The Blues have a generation of players coming through that is undoubtedly talented, and it has to be given a chance to flourish at the highest level. If not, why else invest in an academy that dominates English youth football?

We understand there is a commercial aspect. Not all of those young players will become Chelsea first-teamers, and like Traore (although he wasn't an academy product), they will be sold on to raise money for future signings. It's the club's way of competing in the modern market and utilising the resources they have to funnel success through to where it matters most.

But equally, the likes of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, Nathaniel Chalobah, Lewis Baker, Andreas Christensen, Tammy Abraham and so many others deserve to be given the opportunity to show they can be Chelsea players.

It's time the transfer policy acknowledged that. Chelsea are competing at an elite level, and that territory demands investment in elite playersin the transfer market. It shouldn't come at a cost of blocking the pathway for emerging talent, however. It shouldn't be about short-term gains that damage long-term success.

When Chelsea are being linked with players such as Middlesbrough'sAdama Traore by Sky Sports, it makes you wonder what must be going through the minds of the club's best youth prospects.

There's no time like the present to address these big problems.

Worst Move No. 2: Procrastinate

After preaching the youth doctrine, we go ahead and contradict ourselves by stating Chelsea can't afford to act slowly in the transfer market this summer.

As acknowledged, though, there is a need for any club to invest in players who can make an instant impact. It isn't just about flooding the first team with young hopefuls and waiting for them to sink or swim.

Chelsea would have outlined their transfer targets for this summer well before the season ended with Conte lifting the Premier League trophy at Stamford Bridge. There would have been meetings to identify those who were deemed attainable, and budgets would have been drafted.

Now the Blues have to act. They have procrastinated in the past, and what did that give them? Well, it happened that recently that you don't need a long-term memory to recall the situation.

After winning the 2014/15 Premier League title at a canter, Chelsea seemed to rest on their laurels. They were slow in bringing in new faces to freshen up Jose Mourinho's squad, which left them dramatically short on reinforcements.

Eventually, they got Papy Djilobodji on transfer deadline day. By December, Mourinho had been sacked for a second time. It left Chelsea in disarray, and they finished 10th and failed to qualify for European football.

By appointing Conte, they somehow got themselves out of jail. The circumstances that led to all of that happening can't be repeated. The club can't allow a manager of Conte's talents to leave under the same cloud as Mourinho. It would be catastrophic.

Best Move No. 1: Promote Talented Loan Players

Here we are, pushing that youth line again. We're not repeating ourselves, though.

As well as working to create that pathway for those in the academy, Chelsea have to look at what they have available and ready for the first team this summer. It could save them millions now and in the future when they realise the mistake in selling a player only to buy him back at a greater cost.

After all, that is what is dominating headlineswith ex-Blues strikerRomelu Lukaku.

There have been some damning column inches dedicated to Chelsea's manipulation of the loan system in recent years. Last season, the club had 37 players dotted around Europe on temporary deals elsewhere.

In the past, that has created a healthy revenue stream. But this summer seems to be the one when it can prevent Chelsea buying and selling.

What Conte is looking for in the market isn't so much upgrades on the players who won him the title but players who can support them throughout 2017/18. That means identifying those who aren't necessarily starting every match, more ready to be rotated in when fixture congestionbegins to bite.

Why spend money when the likes of Baker and Christensen are returning after two years away in the Netherlands and Germany respectively, where they impressed?

Incidentally, Baker and Christensen operate in areas of the pitch where Chelsea need to add numbers. They lack attacking midfielders and bodies at the back.Conte needs to bring in at least two defenders to strengthen his back three, especially now John Terry has departed.

It's not a sentimental gesture, as Baker and Christensen have shown themselves to be of the standard Chelsea require in their squad. Don't spend millions replacing them; allow them to prove themselves.

Who knows? It might just work.

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Best and Worst Moves Chelsea Could Make in the Transfer Window - Bleacher Report