One man who keeps grabbing the headlines of late is Manchester United’s Cristiano Ronaldo. If it’s not whacking people’s phones out of their hands it’s refusing to come on as a substitute and fleeing Old Trafford before the full-time whistle. And if it’s not that, it’s being linked with Chelsea - again.
The veteran Portuguese star cannot seem to escape being named as a primary target for the west London club as his situation with the Red Devils worsens week on week. The two sides drew 1-1 at Stamford Bridge on Saturday but Ronaldo was not around having been dropped as a result of his poor behaviour during the 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in midweek.
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His side were heading towards a big three points and Erik ten Hag wanted to bring on the forward for the final period of the game. Ronaldo reportedly refused to come on before disappearing down the tunnel and leaving the stadium before the match ended. Ten Hag said he would deal with the 37-year-old’s defiance and justifiably banished him from first-team training as well as dropping him for the weekend meeting with the Blues.
Despite all the negative connotations that surround Ronaldo, it seems that he remains a player of keen interest to Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly. Reports linking Ronaldo with a switch to Stamford Bridge are growing at such a rate that there must be some truth behind it.
As a Chelsea fan you would be concerned. Not just because of all the strikers they have signed who have failed in the past, but for the disruption a player like Ronaldo can bring if things aren’t going his way. Bear in mind we are talking about someone who is a couple of years away from turning 40 and his antics at United have been that of a four-year-old.
Boehly has already shown that he is doing whatever it takes to get things going at Chelsea. He disposed of Thomas Tuchel and replaced him with Graham Potter when results weren’t going well and he also oversaw a mass exodus of key senior staff, including Petr Cech, not long after assuming control of the club.
With the 49-year-old businessman also a co-owner of Major League Baseball team Los Angeles Dodgers, the commercialisation of sport in America will have influenced his approach at Chelsea. He knows that Ronaldo is one of the biggest athletes in the world and is more than aware of the marketable value he could offer Chelsea. So it comes as no surprise that he would want to lure him to SW6 as the pound signs swirl in his eyes.
But when you only think about what a player can offer commercially and ignore whether they would be of benefit on the pitch, which ultimately helps a club grow, then you are just asking for trouble.
United paid the price for taking a trip down memory lane with their emotional reunion a year ago, and while Ronaldo’s impressive goal tally last term was vital, the team were no better on the pitch for it and they are now starting to improve with him out of the side.
Chelsea themselves are currently in a period of transition under new boss Potter and they face a lot of competition this season to finish inside the top four. Procuring Ronaldo in January to then go and miss out on a place in next year's Champions League would surely lead to another big strop from the man who refuses to accept his decline.
Adding Ronaldo to the equation midway through the season could have a devastating effect on the Blues’ campaign if he splits the dressing room as has been rumoured to have happened at Old Trafford, and the negative stories continue to follow him.
He would likely be another striker signing at Chelsea that goes awry following Romelu Lukaku, Timo Werner, Alvaro Morata, Gonzalo Higuain and Fernando Torres. His arrival would be to improve revenue streams, not results on the pitch.
