Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have now spent over £1 billion since they bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich last year, and the new co-owners of the West London club are showing no signs of tightening their purse strings anytime soon despite rising concerns surrounding how they could possibly be meeting Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations.
Whether they have found potential loopholes or are breaking the rules, that’s a story for another day. But, thus far, Chelsea’s spending isn’t getting them anywhere and new boss Mauricio Pochettino is still asking for patience from the Stamford Bridge fans after another slow start to a Premier League season leaves them unfavourable in the Paddy Power football odds.
Trigger-happy Chelsea need to listen to the old cliché ‘trust the process’ now more than ever. So, let’s take a look at the summer arrivals and see how they fit in with the club’s vision going forward.
Moises Caicedo – £115m
Moises Caicedo’s record-breaking move to Chelsea was part of one of the most dramatic transfer sagas this summer, as Liverpool initially agreed a British-record fee of £110m for the Ecuadorian. However, he made it clear he only wanted to move to Stamford Bridge and he penned an eight-year deal in West London. The Reds might breathe a sigh of relief after his error-prone debut against West Ham United, but give him a chance to settle.
Romeo Lavia – £58m
The other player involved in Chelsea and Liverpool’s tense battle off the pitch, Romeo Lavia had been the Reds’ top target to replace Jordan Henderson and Fabinho at Anfield this summer. But the Blues joined the race late and the young Belgian also opted for the capital over Merseyside, with football news sites claiming former Blues winger Eden Hazard helped him make his decision. It will be interesting to see how he fits in with Enzo Fernandez, Caicedo and Conor Gallagher all vying for a starting berth.
Christopher Nkunku – £52m
Chelsea fans knew for the best part of the last year that Christopher Nkunku was making the switch from RB Leipzig this summer, but after finally confirming the deal in June and impressing in pre-season, the French international picked up an injury in one of the Blues’ final friendlies and is going to miss a large part of the season. It’s a massive blow for Pochettino and Chelsea have missed him thus far.
Axel Disasi – £38.8m
With Kalidou Koulibaly leaving just 12 months after signing for Chelsea and Wesley Forfanapicking up yet another lengthy injury, the Blues had to venture into the market for a centre-back and landed Axel Disasi for £38.8m from Monaco. The Frenchman impressed on his debut vs Liverpool, scoring Chelsea’s equaliser, but he was poor in the loss to West Ham.
Nicolas Jackson – £31.8m
Eyebrows were raised when Chelsea acquired Nicolas Jackson for over £31.8m from Villarreal. But the forward scored 12 times in 26 La Liga appearances for the Yellow Submarine last summer and he has proven to be a pleasant surprise in a Blue shirt, getting plenty of kudos for the manner in which he has led Chelsea’s attacking line in the opening weeks of the season.
Robert Sanchez – £25m
With Edouard Mendy departing for Saudi Arabia, Chelsea needed a new goalkeeper and Boehly once again used his close links with Brighton to fix their problem — signing Robert Sanchez for £25m. The Spaniard fell out of favour under Roberto De Zerbi last season and Chelsea have granted him the chance to wear the No.1 jersey again. Is he up to the task though?
Lesley Ugochukwu – £23.2m
The fourth player to be signed from Ligue 1 under Boehly’s tenure, Lesley Ugochukwu arrived from Rennes for £23.2m at the beginning of August. The French U-19 international featured 47 times in the league for his previous side and made his Chelsea debut off the bench against Liverpool. It will be interesting to see what Pochettino decides to do with the 19-year-old this season now Lavia and Caicedo have joined to pack out the midfield.
Angelo – £12.95m
Chelsea signed promising Brazilian talent Angelo from Santos for £12.95m in June. The 18-year-old made 129 appearances and scored five goals in the Brazilian top flight. He will spend the season on loan at Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. Deivid Washington also arrived from Santos for £17.1m
Djordje Petrovic – £12.5m
With Kepa Arrizabalaga returning to Spain to fill the void of the injured Thibaut Courtois at Real Madrid, Chelsea needed to bring in another keeper this summer. They turned their attention to Djordje Petrovic and agreed a deal of £12.5 million plus £1.5m in add-ons with New England Revolution for the Serbian. He played 45 times in the MLS and has two caps for his country.
