Did Chelsea do the right thing in Mutu's case?

Adrian Mutu is one of the most decorated figures in all of European football.  Mostly known for his headlines in the papers and stories off the field, Mutu continues to play at a top level in Serie A.  The former Chelsea striker is currently playing with Cesena and enjoying fine form as of late.  Scoring and making the difference in almost all of their victories this season. Although Mutu continues to show and prove to everyone that he hasn’t lost a step, the question remains to Chelsea.  If you had the chance to handle things differently, would you have?

In 2003, Chelsea’s billionaire owner Roman Abromovich bought Adrian Mutu from Parma for around $15 million.  Adrian Mutu quickly fit into English football and scored and impressed early.  He really showed flare with his confident play and looked like the transfer of the season early on.  As time progressed Mutu slowed down and with so much competition and depth, his play suffered. Mutu had youth and skill on his side.  He had the right players around him, the right coaches, and the supporters that stand behind anyone who bleeds blue.  Well…almost everyone. Mutu had a future with Chelsea.  A big one.  A chance to be coached under Mourinho.  A chance to play with Abromovich’s money. A chance to win trophies. He was treated like royalty in London.  The fame and the fortune was every young man’s dream.  Mutu later revealed in an interview that he got everything too young and too quick.  He got everything he wanted and it was easy.  He made a catastrophic mistake and on top of that, quarreled with the biggest ego in all of football; Mourinho and Mutu didn’t see eye to eye.  Mutu admitted that he had an ego that got in the way of the both of them.  Things didn’t work.  Mutu’s failed drug test was a huge blow, but I don’t think anyone would have imagined what Chelsea did next.

Chelsea sacked Adrian Mutu for breach of contract, fined him $20,000 and ordered to serve a seven month ban upheld by Fifa.  Just typing that was difficult.  A player being sacked?  Just sounds odd.  Rio Ferdinand skips drug tests, caught drunk while driving on several occasions and not sacked.  Kolo Toure tested positive just last year.  Sacked…no. All of these incidents and many, many others deserve more than what they got.  Mutu included.  Representing a club and the crest carries high responsibility.  Punishment is always justified.  Responsibility also plays a vital role in the club.  These are their players and the responsibility of helping and standing with their players should never come in question.  If a player has a drug or alcohol problem, does the team not bare any responsibility? Chelsea apparently didn’t feel that way.  They tossed Mutu out and let the media label him as a junkie, druggie, gypsy, and so on.  They let Mutu go as a free player.  They also didn’t like the fact that Juventus picked him up from Livorno and helped the player rebuild. Mutu was also sued for his transfer fee and other bonuses he received.  The story was well publicized and the facts are all out there.

What if Chelsea handled it differently?  What if they recognized that Mutu had a problem and helped their player?  What if they rehabbed the player and kept the player?  Well the answer would have been around an $8-10 million dollar profit.  Mutu continued to gain momentum at Juventus and later was transferred to Fiorentina where he shined.  He was a star in Florence and brought success to the club.  With great showings in Europa and Champions League.  Fiorentina, then later were offered a $23 million dollar transfer for Adrian Mutu.  Fiorentina decided to keep their player. The good came with the bad and Mutu failed another drug test with diet pills.  They decided to stay behind their player and Mutu quickly regained form.  But to compare the incidents don’t do justice.  Fiorentina didn’t have half the quality of players that Chelsea had. The amount of strikers and players that have come and gone makes you wonder how or what it would have been like with Mutu there for a couple more years.  But Chelsea saw success otherwise as well.  Although not in Europe, they continued to be one of the strongest EPL teams year after year.  All the drama and all the questions raised are all intriguing.

Was it worth it for Chelsea? Is it still worth it now?  They continue to hunt down Mutu for money they paid to Parma.  They could have stood by their player and they could have handled this within the club.  They could have sold Mutu instead of letting the player go free.  They could have helped a player who made a mistake.  Instead, Mourinho wanted to make a statement.  He was on the world stage and had the chance to label himself as a certain coach with a certain attitude.  Well, he succeeded and at what costs?  Well Mutu surely knows and to Chelsea, it adds up to around $15 million still unaccounted for.

Understanding that Mutu was an adult and made a mistake, I think Chelsea made some big ones too.  Wearing a jersey and representing the crest comes with great responsibility to the fans and to the young children that support the game.  The crest also bares responsibility to the players as well.