Source: Telegraph
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti is the real victim of the Gael Kakuta saga
Peter Kenyon, the chief executive, or Frank Arnesen, the chief scout, could well lose their jobs if it is found that they broke the rules when Kakuta moved to Chelsea. Their position should become clear when Chelsea's lawyers start poring through the 50-page Fifa document, which is expected at Stamford Bridge in two weeks. If either or both get fired they won't be victims. [LNB]They'll have deserved it. From what has been revealed by Fifa and Lens the buck stops with these two: this is not a case of them being made scapegoats for what everyone else is up to. It seems they simply decided to ignore the existence of a contract. [LNB] Related ArticlesFrank Arnesen in firing lineJohn Terry shocked by banChelsea not interested in January salesThe Daily Bung: Chelsea ban is Blatter's best gag yetChelsea in reserveChelsea transfer ban: Q&AWhat about Kakuta himself? He has to pay €780,000 (about £680,000) compensation — although Chelsea are jointly liable — and he is now suspended for four months effective immediately. He was 15 when it all happened so it is hard to blame him for having his head turned. Still, one report suggests he was paid a €1million signing-on fee. Those four months will fly by. [LNB]What about Lens? They wanted €5million for Kakuta when Chelsea called and are left with only €780,000 plus €130,000 in training compensation. Still, that is more than €1million they never thought they would see. Plus, they have occupied the moral high ground and set a precedent that will help them protect their players in the future. [LNB]No, the party coming out of this with no positives is Ancelotti. The Italian is a man under pressure. Since Roman Abramovich bought the club the manager has been kicked out as soon as he failed to win the league. Jose Mourinho went the September after he lost the title to Manchester United; Claudio Ranieri left after finishing second, so did Avram Grant. Luiz Felipe Scolari didn't even make it to the end of the season. Ancelotti needs to deliver. [LNB]And the Kakuta affair will seriously damage Chelsea's chances of winning the title. Why? One word: Angola. Chelsea lose four players to the African Cup of Nations in January: John Obi Mikel, Salomon Kalou, Michael Essien and, most tellingly, Didier Drogba. The quartet will miss at least four Premier League games and the third round of the FA Cup. The tournament kicks off on Jan 10 and end on Jan 31, but players will be expected to report early for training camps. [LNB]Clearly Chelsea would have wanted to bring in some players — possible on short-term loans — as cover for those absentees when the window opens again on Jan 1. There is the fear that they will miss out on long term, high-profile targets, such as Franck Ribery and Alexandre Pato. But Ancelotti needs to ensure he has enough depth in the squad come January, for he will not be able to rotate his team. [LNB]Come Feb 6, when Chelsea host Arsenal in a fixture that should have a serious bearing on the title, Ancelotti could have a squad of players exhausted from covering for the absent Africans and his returning contingent exhausted by playing up to six games in three weeks in Africa. Good luck. [LNB]How can he put his imprint on the team if he can't sign anyone (Yuri Zhirkov, Ross Turnbull and Danny Sturridge were all Arnesen signings)? Precedent suggests the best Chelsea can hope for is the reduction of the ban from two windows to one. So the only tactic left to Chelsea would be to try and get the ban frozen by CAS until after the window opens again. The document is expected in two weeks; then Chelsea have 21 days to decide whether to appeal. If they can string it out, they might force CAS to delay until after Christmas. [LNB]Yet there is, real political appetite from CAS and Uefa president Michel Platini that a ruling is made before the window re-opens. They don't want it looking as if Chelsea have been allowed to exploit a loophole. [LNB]So Ancelotti is stuck with what he has, a squad with undoubted quality but short on numbers and high on age. Perhapshe can find a solution from within. Is there not a promising academy kid just waiting for his chance? [LNB]Yes, come to mention it, his name's Gaël Kakuta but will he be available? . [LNB]
