"They enhance most teams, not just Chelsea" - Former Blues assistant coach names 2 PL players the club should've signed in the summer

Former Chelsea player and assistant manager Jody Morris has weighed in on the club’s summer transfer business, suggesting the Blues missed a key opportunity in strengthening two vital areas of the pitch. According to Morris, Chelsea should have pursued moves for Gianluigi Donnarumma and Marc Guehi, two players he believes would improve almost any team and not just his former side.

Speaking to The Sun, Morris pointed out that the Blues' recruitment strategy overlooked crucial defensive positions.

“If you spoke to most people regarding Chelsea, those were the positions [center-back and goalkeeper] that they obviously think maybe looked like needed strengthening more than elsewhere,” he said. “But listen, at the end of the day whether Enzo Maresca felt that they needed changing or whether upstairs didn’t want to come through and support that, who knows? “But yeah obviously I think if you’re talking about two players in Donnarumma and Marc Guehi, you absolutely would go, I think they enhance most teams, not just Chelsea. So whether they were in for both of them, who knows? They may have been and just might not have been able to get it over the line.”

The Blues were one of the busiest teams in the summer, with their new arrivals hitting double figures. However, none of their new signings was a goalkeeper, and only two were defenders.

Of the two players Morris suggested, Guehi was linked with a return to the west London club in the last window, but nothing materialized between Crystal Palace and Club World Cup champions. Donnarumma, on the other hand, signed for Manchester City after impressive stints at Paris Saint-Germain.

“Chelsea fan till I die” – Jody Morris on his lifelong love for the Blues

In the same interview, Jody Morris revealed that he will forever remain a Blue fan even if football takes him to different places or roles in the sport. The 46-year-old, who was most recently the head coach of Swindon Town, came through the youth ranks at the west London club before getting promoted to the senior team in 1996. He was sold to Leeds in 2003.

In 2014, he was appointed as assistant manager at the club’s U-18 side and was appointed as Frank Lampard’s assistant head coach for the senior team in 2019. On his fondness for the club, he said:

“I don’t think you ever change who you support. I was a Chelsea fan before I was a footballer, I’ll be a Chelsea fan till I die. Like I said it’s my club, it’ll always be ingrained in me and yes, there’s certain moments that you like the club a little bit more than other times. “But yeah, I always want the team to do well, want the players to do well, want the club to be thriving. So absolutely always try and get to the Bridge when I can, watch their watch and hope that we’re gonna go on and win more trophies.”

Enzo Maresca's side are currently seventh on the Premier League table and will be in action against Nottingham Forest after the international break.

Edited by Ezekiel Olamide