Why Chelsea Should Not Consider Re-Signing Kevin De Bruyne

Is the tale of Kevin De Bruyne's rise football's equivalent of The Emperor's New Clothes?

Since leaving Chelsea in January last year, the Belgian has turned heads with his form for his new club Wolfsburg after largely being a failure at Stamford Bridge.
And as the goals have flowed and the assists racked up, questions have been asked if Chelsea made a mistake in selling him when they did.
Was it a premature move from Jose Mourinho?
Given the ground swell of support for his talents, it's becoming ever more difficult to find anyone brave enough to out De Bruyne for what he is: an over-hyped youngster lacking the substance to cut it at the very highest level.

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It's time for a declaration: "De Bruyne has no clothes on!"
We've been here before with the Belgian, after all.
De Bruyne had two loan spells away from Chelsea. The first when he was sent back to Genk for six months after joining the Blues in January 2012; the second a 12-month stint with Werder Bremen.
It was the latter that captured the imagination.
From being a player who had arrived largely under the radar, De Bruyne's 10 goals and 10 assists in the Bundesliga marked him as seemingly among one of the smarter moves Chelsea had made in the transfer market.
He had cost just £7 million and Chelsea looked to have hit the jackpot.
Then he was given his chance under Jose Mourinho, and what we had seen in the previous season disappeared. It evaporated into the abyss.

Michael Probst/Associated Press

De Bruyne was tentative, a player far removed from the one who was taking games to the opposition with Werder Bremen, imposing himself and making an impact.
Was it playing with the expectation that comes with being at Chelsea? Was it the pressure of Mourinho? Was it tactics? Was it his team-mates?
Whatever the answer, De Bruyne didn't have the look of a player at ease. The Chelsea shirt wasn't the right fit.
Indeed, when we consider he was competing with Eden Hazard, Oscar, Willian, Juan Mata and Andre Schurrle at the time, it's clear where his place was in the Stamford Bridge pecking order.
Some of those names have since followed De Bruyne through the exit door, but it doesn't mean his position at Chelsea would be any more favourable.

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

Now he's out of the significant glare of the Stamford Bridge spotlight, the trend has repeated itself; he's the all-conquering De Bruyne of Wolfsburg.
But he still lacks the panache to excel at Chelsea.
De Bruyne's found his level in Germany, he's at the right club—a club where he is top of the food chain and things revolve around him.
That will breed confidence, it will allow De Bruyne to put in the sort of displays that have got so many excited this season.
Take him out of that comfort zone, however, and what do you get? We saw it in those ill-fated six months he spent under Mourinho.

Michael Probst/Associated Press

Much like Wolfsburg, De Bruyne is at the top end of football's B list. He may well have ambitions to join the elite, he may well even have enough about him to outshine his more superior opponents at times.
But can he sustain it?
Take De Bruyne's compatriot Eden Hazard. It seems folly to suggest it now, but costing £32 million, he was a gamble for Chelsea.
There was an element of the unknown about Hazard. He was the star of Ligue 1 when Chelsea signed him, something that is very different to becoming the star of the Premier League.
It's a whole different prospect.

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

All the hype that Hazard's transfer created has been lived up to, though. In just the first seven minutes of his Chelsea debut he delivered on it, first assisting Branislav Ivanovic before winning the penalty that Frank Lampard dispatched to secure a 2-0 win over Wigan Athletic.
Much like those seven minutes, Hazard has continued to deliver.
Hazard is the standard bearer at Chelsea, and despite his form at Wolfsburg, De Bruyne still isn't anywhere close.
Hazard is the Champions League, De Bruyne it's poor relation, the Europa League. Incidentally, its where they both found themselves this season.
When Mourinho talks of his plans for a legacy at Chelsea, he envisions the club being dominant; he envisions Hazard and Diego Costa bamboozling their way through defences, punishing them ruthlessly.

Michael Sohn/Associated Press

He wants heavyweights, something De Bruyne isn't. He had his opportunity, and within six months, he had blown it.
Let's not ask the question of whether or not De Bruyne should return to Chelsea; it's more about if Chelsea need him.
They don't.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes