Chelsea did all they could. They had agreed a £55m fee with Leeds United, they had likely proposed reasonable terms, but in the end Raphinha wanted Barcelona.
Why he wants a club whose finances are collapsing as assets are sold off weekly and magic levers are pulled? Only he will know. And given the madness at the Camp Nou, the Brazillian might be available again very soon. Nine times out of ten when you agree on a fee, you likely sign the player. Todd Boehly made a move but it wasn't enough.
Chelsea must look forward, not only with priorities lying elsewhere to improve the defence for Thomas Tuchel but also because the Blues have other attacking paths to go down this summer.
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And no, none of these solutions includes signing Cristiano Ronaldo or Neymar. I have written about why neither are smart additions before and even if Chelsea's ego might have been slightly bruised by Raphinha opting for Spain, they should not rush for impulsive targets to appease the social media mob.
Instead, there are other options Tuchel could go for, some of those are staring him right in the face right now as Chelsea trains under the heat of the Los Angeles sun.
In that spirit, the first alternative is promoting Harvey Vale fresh off his success at the under-19 European Championships with England, setting up the second goal with a delicious left-footed cross for Aston Villa prospect Carney Chukwuemeka to bundle home. Wearing the armband too, Vale's success further emphasized his growing development as another Cobham gem.
Vale's current contract expires next year and there have been rumours about his departure since January following his senior debut in the Carabao Cup against Brentford last December.
Vale is currently in LA training with the first team and could make an impression on Tuchel this summer. Promotion to the senior squad and chances would give him an incentive to sign a new deal and could help the club develop yet another academy gem who can play off the right-wing.
The next alternative is also a Cobham graduate, but further down the line in Callum Hudson-Odoi. This summer is another one surrounded with uncertainty over his future at Stamford Bridge. Will he stay? Will he go? Hudson-Odoi has shown flashes of brilliance and inspiration, the sort Tuchel hopes to gain more consistently.
The failure to land Raphinha might just be a sliding doors moment in Hudson-Odoi's career should the Blues focus on investment in other areas. Coming back looking fitter and stronger, the 21-year-old might just prove that his long-term future does lie at Chelsea, rather than continuing this ongoing limbo state he's been in for several years.
Lastly, is Chelsea going into the market for another attacker. There are other options who could still be on the move. One of those is Bayern Munich attacker Serge Gnabry. The former Arsenal man has developed into one of Europe's fierce wide players in the Bundesliga, something Chelsea harshly discovered in the Champions League in 2020.
The 27-year-old is still yet to resolve his contract situation at the Allianz with his deal set to expire in 2023 and could be tempted by a return to the Premier League.
Another alternative is Crystal Palace's Michael Olise, signed from Reading in 2021 , the 20-year-old has quickly showcased how shrewd a move that was last season. Scoring two goals and making five assists from 26 Premier League appearances, slightly exceeding his xG in both via Understat.
Olise is a maverick, a direct winger who is fastly gaining more admirers and should he continue that development in 2022/23. It wouldn't be unsurprising to see a host of top clubs in for his signature with Palace guaranteed a big profit from the initial £8m fee they paid to the Championship side.
In that aspect with Olise, the ability to wait a year might prove the smartest move here, giving plenty of time for Boehly to install a permanent sporting director who can start to clarify the club's recruitment strategy, which might seem a little chaotic at the current moment.
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