Chelsea decision turns into €100m blunder - and it could doom Alonso

Chelsea decision turns into €100m blunder - and it could doom Xabi Alonso Make us your Google favourite Chelsea 's decision not to sign AS Roma midfielder Manu Kone this summer could come back to bite them big time. The France international went into the transfer window fully expecting to be sold. This wasn't necessarily because Roma wanted to get rid of him, but rather because of the club's financial situation. Having previously breached UEFA's spending rules, Roma have had to manage their finances very carefully in recent windows. Their qualification for the Champions League last season alleviated some of the pressure heading into this summer, but at least one major sale was still expected. Kone, as one of the club's most valuable assets, was the main candidate to be sold, particularly as he had been attracting high-profile attention for years, even going back to his Borussia Monchengladbach days. His performances at the World Cup only increased the sense that a move was inevitable. However, when the financial year ended on 30 June, Kone was still a Roma player. A move hadn't materialised, and the club's transfer stance subsequently changed. Chelsea's Kone mistake With the Giallorossi having failed to complete a major sale, they decided to kick the can down the road and worry about their financial situation later. They were no longer willing to consider the departure of their star players, including Kone. As a result, their price tag for the 25-year-old, which had previously stood at around €50 million, was done away with completely. The club began to insist that only an "extraordinary offer" would get them to sell Kone. So, when Chelsea made a late approach in their search for a replacement for Man City-bound Enzo Fernandez, they were told to get lost. The Blues were reportedly prepared to pay €60m, but this wasn't enough for Roma. Had the Blues acted more decisively earlier in the window, they would not be stuck with Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson as their midfield pairing right now. Of course, you could argue that the situation at Stamford Bridge was different in June than in late August. That would be correct, but it is not like Chelsea were blindsided by Fernandez's desire to leave the club. He had been flirting with a move to Real Madrid since the spring, and Man City began sniffing around him in May. Chelsea's lack of a major midfield signing will go down as a huge blunder. Moises Caicedo's return to action should be a big boon to manager Xabi Alonso, but only time will tell if he alone can fix the Blues' soft underbelly. The West London giants have continued to monitor the midfielder market since their failure to sign a Fernandez replacement, and Kone remains a player they are keenly following. The problem, though, is that the Frenchman is going from strength to strength. As points out, the 25-year-old has taken his game to a new level under Gian Piero Gasperini over the past 12 months, becoming an incredibly well-rounded midfielder by adding an attacking impetus to his repertoire. With Kone impressing in the early stages of this new season, the Italian outlet surmises that he is no longer a €60m player. The France star has become a €100m midfielder - and this could be a problem. Chelsea have been tipped to revisit a deal for Kone in January, but Roma have absolutely no intention of losing him mid-season. With the Serie A side likely to demand a significant premium, he could cost double what the Blues might have needed to pay for him in the summer. Even if they were to sign him in January, the season could already be lost by that point, unless Xabi Alonso can manage to fix his team's glaring issues in midfield and defence.