"The (ahem) from Spurs they bought his flight, but Willian saw the light, he got a call from Abramovich and off he went to Stamford Bridge...”

The story of Chelsea's most important payer of the this season is one of legend. The hard-working, creative Brazilian was a terrace cult hero before he had even kicked a ball, because of his snubbing of White Hart Lane for the sunnier climes of SW6.

Now the tables are turned on Chelsea as Alex Teixera, former Shakhtar Donetsk and present Brazil teammate of Willian, seems to have been snatched out from under Chelsea's grasp by Liverpool. What's gone wrong? What has turned the Blues from the club everyone wants to play for, into a side relegated to pursuing has-beens and never weres?

Circumstance, that's what. When Eden Hazard toyed with the affections of the Premier League back in 2012, it was Manchester United that looked to be his most likely destination. With Sir Alex Ferguson still at the helm, and United having deeper pockets than anyone, Hazard looked certain to pursue his career with that season's Premier League runners up.

Right circumstances: Eden Hazard

Then Chelsea went and won the Champions League, and history was rewritten. There are a number of reasons why Chelsea appear to be finding it so hard to sign top class players at the moment. First and foremost has to be the uncertainty that clouds the immediate future of the club on the European stage right now.

At Shakhtar, Teixera has been more or less guaranteed participation in either the Champions League or the Europa League season after season. While neither are in the immediate grasp of Liverpool, it would seem in the medium term that the club will surely climb to a natural position that includes regular qualification for the latter at least.

The same cannot be said of Chelsea, who look highly unlikely to qualify for either via the Premier League route this season, and will have to demonstrate they can turn things around in a closed season – when such a feat has often taken other clubs years.

There is also the issue of managerial stability and vision. One can imagine Jurgen Klopp has caught Teixera's ear with information on his vision for the future at Anfield. But who presently imparts such vision to potential Chelsea signings?

Missed target? Alex Teixera

And who is there to counter the case studies of players such as Juan Mata: signed on the personal instruction of Andre Villas-Boas, later managed by Roberto Di Matteo and Rafael Benitez, and finally sold by Jose Mourinho. Players and agents see cases like Mata's, and wonder whether first team certainty might turn into a stint on (or even off) the bench in weeks.

Chelsea have also sent out awkward messages in recent years with a string of players who, for whatever reason, failed at the club. What chances were afforded Filipe Luis, Juan Cuadrado and Papy Djilobodji? What hopes does Baba Rahman have?

In each of those cases, the primary decision to sign the player involved something other than the existing manager's wish to play him. Word gets around in the small world of football. So there may be a number of external perceptions of the club affecting players' willingness to sign for Chelsea this January.

But, and this is a factor that may be bigger than any of them, there is the issue of where the club itself is actually setting its sights. Chelsea have been most firmly linked with Alexandre Pato this month – a player first set into headlines with the club's name as far back as 2007.

Long term target: Alexandre Pato

A player who has failed spectacularly to deliver the promise of his youth, and has become locked into a contract with a Brazilian club where nobody can really afford to buy him. A player whose existing club president, Corinthians' Roberto De Andrade, has said of him: “We are praying day and night, hoping to sell Pato.”

As with the on-loan signing of Radamel Falcao, Chelsea appear to be trying to fill their dearth of experience and character with players who are simply past their best. It is vital, moving on, for Chelsea to restore the factors that make the club attractive to football's greatest and most promising players. But, even more than that, it is of the imperative that they actually start looking in the right places if they hope to find them.

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