Chelsea spent £323 million in the January transfer window alone. The Blues have been known to splash the cash to get what they want but this is another level of mismanagement or just cluelessness.
If you compare that to their rivals, the Italian Serie A, a league that has hosted and produced some of the greatest players of all time spent less than €28 million in total.
To make things worse Chelsea has been abysmal even with all their new weapons and currently sit in 10th position, 10 points off the 5th position which is currently occupied by Newcastle.
With 23 goals scored Chelsea currently is the lowest scoring team in the top 11 of the English Premier League. That is a 360 from the team that ended last season as the third highest goal scorers in the league, only surpassed by Liverpool and Manchester City.
It is scary to think that this was self inflicted as Tuchel seemed to have everything under control and was removed from his position, disregarding his success.
Things have not gone as planned under new boss Graham Potter. Potter has won nine, drawn seven, and lost nine of 25 games during his stay at Stamford Bridge, with his team scoring 25 goals and conceding 24. His win percentage is significantly lower than even Andre Villas-Boas’ 47.5 percent, which is the lowest of 13 managers employed by Abramovich.
Even if Graham Potter is sacked, it is extremely hard to see any progress as currently, the club seems to be in quicksand.
We are going to analyze the signings made by Chelsea in January to see which player actually improved the club.
Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for 120 million
The talented argentine shone in the world cup alongside his countrymen on the way to becoming world champions.
The Fifa world cup skyrocketed his market price and value overnight making him one of the most sought after talents in world football.
Many clubs were monitoring his situation with genuine interest. Giants like Liverpool, Manchester United, and Barcelona.
Even his club at the time Benfica were not keen on selling him as their manager spoke about his frustration at the departure “There’s a club who want our player. They know we don’t want to sell the player.”
He improves the Chelsea midfield and is extremely crucial at this point as Chelsea decided to strengthen Arsenal by giving them Jorginho for Peanuts.
The 22 year old signed a long term deal and is expected to play a pivotal part for the blues for at least the next half a decade.
Mykhaylo Mudryk from Shakter Donetsk for 80 million
Chelsea seemed to be targeting young talented players they would mold to lead the club into a new era. If Enzo Fernandez’s price tag was justified because of his amazing performances in Qatar, that makes this transfer even weirder.
Mykhaylo Mudryk is a 22 year old winger who came up through the ranks at Shakter Donestk.
Till today he has never played up to 15 League games in a single season in his entire career, that’s where the doubts come in.
This season currently is his best season yet as prior to his transfer he produced 7 goals and 6 assists in 12 League games for Shakter, but last season he only made 11 appearances, and before that he had none.
Mudryk is such an unknown quantity in such a league that it’s questionable to pay 80 million for a 22 year old with one good season.
Given the quality of wingers at Chelsea, this signing does not improve the team.
Wesley Fofana from Leicester for 80 million
Wesley Fofana is a 22 year old Frenchman who currently plies his trade for Chelsea FC. He recently completed an 80 million move from Leicester and has been consistently under watch from the media and fans.
The young star has the potential to lead the backline in London for a decade to come as the qualities he possesses at such an early age will blossom if nurtured properly.
The 22 year old has a mixture of perfect timing in tackles, fearlessness when blocking against shots, and impressive athletic qualities.
The only thing he currently lacks is ability on the ball. He currently is not a man that can push forward and look to break lines with his passing ability, but he is still only 22 and will develop immensely over time.
He is under scrutiny because of the exorbitant amount of money paid for his services, but he is definitely a quality acquisition.
Joao Felix from Atletico Madrid on Loan £9.7million fee plus 100% wages
Joao Felix is one of the world’s brightest young stars but what always hampered him was the team he played for. Atletico Madrid are renowned for their defensive stability and ability to grind out results against the biggest teams in world football.
Their defensive style often stifles their supremely talented attackers, it needs energetic strikers who are patient without the ball and also physical players.
Felix has impressed in this out of sorts Chelsea side and seems to be the biggest threat currently in the blues Arsenal.
Based on this short spell the Portuguese will not be short of options come summer, and is a valuable addition to this side.
Noni Madueke – £35million, seven-and-a-half year contract (option for an extra year)
Noni Madueke is an exciting winger who previously plied his trade at PSV Eindhoven. He was a regular despite his young age as at 20 he has made over 80 appearances for PSV scoring 20 goals and assisting 14 times in his spell with the senior team.
His inventiveness on the run and ability to beat multiple opponents at such a young age captured the eyes of Europe and Chelsea bought him for 35 million.
He is a steal for that price. A 20 year old who has played over 100 high level matches and has enormous room for growth.
He should be given adequate time to get accustomed to his new surroundings and he will be a problem.
Benoit Badiashile – £33.7million, seven-and-a-half year contract (option for an extra year)
A 21 year old Frenchman who has the potential to be the next great wall. At 21 Benoit has played over 135 matches for AS Monaco. His consistency is magnificent.
He has been a permanent fixture in a high level squad since his teenage years and he continues the theme of Chelsea getting it right with their young signings.
A well built athlete who is comfortable with the ball at his feet, the defender is comfortable in one on one situations and has composure that surpasses his age.
He definitely is a quality addition to this squad.
