The fear and anxiety that seems to define Chelsea’s transfer windows these days was already taking hold long before the past 12 months handed the baton to 2019.



In years gone by—most notably when Roman Abramovich first took control in west London—Chelsea’s transfer windows were a cause for excitement, as the club dominated the headlines by chasing the biggest stars. Now Blues fans seem to approach windows with bated breath, anxious over what outrageous transfer rumors are true or false.



In January 2018 it was the rumored pursuit of strikers Andy Carroll and Peter Crouch that had supporters venting; now in the present, if it’s not the merits of signing a rising talent in Christian Pulisic, it’s the future of Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Bayern Munich’s £20 million pursuit of him that has the fan base split.



But 2019 hasn’t started all bad at Stamford Bridge. The Pulisic deal has been done early and Joe Cole has...