When assessing our squad depth, it is hardly surprising to question how a club that has spent over a billion pounds on players still finds itself lacking serious, high-impact individuals. Instead, our substitutes’ bench often features unproven youngsters such as Mathis Amougou and Aaron Anselmino. The reason for this predicament is, unfortunately, quite simple: recruitment.

Since Boehly and Clearlake took control of our Chelsea in the summer of 2022, their transfer strategy has been extensive but, in many cases, ineffective. A closer look at our signings over the past three seasons reveals a significant number of transfers that have provided little or no positive impact on our current squad.

In the 2022/23 season, we spent £232.1 million on players with no or minimum impact on our current team: Mudryk (£60 million), Sterling (£47.5 million), Koulibaly (£33 million), Badiashile (£32.7 million), Chukwuemeka (£20 million), Casadei (£12.5 million), Aubameyang (£10.3 million), Fofana (£10.3 million), Slonina (£5.8 million).

The following season 2023/24, we invested £172.6 million in another set of signings with no or minimum impact on our current team: Nkunku (£52 million), Disasi (£38.5 million), Ugochukwu (£23.1 million), Sanchez (£20 million), Petrovic (£12.5 million), Washington (£13.5 million), Angelo (£13 million).

Most recently, in the 2024/25 season, we spent £138.9 million on further transfers with no or minimum impact on our current team: Felix (£42 million), Dewsbury-Hall (£30 million), Kellyman (£19 million), Veiga (£11.8 million), Anselmino (£15.6 million), Amougou (£12 million), Wiley (£8.5 million).

Therefore, across these three transfer windows, we have spent approximately £543.6 million on players with no or minimum impact on our current team. Meanwhile, we’ve offloaded our highly experienced and homegrown players such as Kante, Kovacic, Gallagher, Azpilicueta, Hudson-Odoi & Lewis Hall.

Additionally, we overpaid for certain players, such as Enzo (£106.8 million), while also signing talented yet heavily injury-prone individuals like Fofana (£70 million) from Leicester City.

Despite these missteps, there have been some positive transfers. Across these three seasons, we made several good signings:

- 2022/23: Cucurella (£55 million), Madueke (£28.5 million), Gusto (£26.3 million), Andrey Santos (£18 million)

-2023/24: Caicedo (£115 million), Lavia (£53 million), Palmer (£40 million), Jackson (£31.8 million)

-2024/25: Neto (£54 million), Estevao (£29 million), and two potentially good transfers, yet still hard to determine whether good or bad: Sancho (£20 million) and Jorgensen (£20.7 million).

Overall, ever since Boehly and Clearlake took over control of our Chelsea, they have got rid of 99% of the pre-Clearlake squad, making just 14 good transfer deals—if we include Enzo and Fofana—but technically only 12, as we have yet to see Brazilians Estevão and Santos pull on the blue shirt. Adding to that list our two academic products, our young and currently struggling Levi Colwill and our unfortunately injury-prone captain James, and considering Tosin and Chalobah as only temporary solutions, we are still left with only 14 to 16 arguably very good players in our current team after three seasons since the takeover.  

With so many transfers completed over the past three years, I wouldn’t call this a job well done. Considering our continual struggles with injuries and fluctuating individual form (Sancho, Enzo, etc.), I fear there is Still a long way to go. Particularly considering the fact that this is only Maresca’s second full season as a first-team manager, meaning that—like most of our players—he is still adjusting to the Premier League, learning, and honing his managerial skills.  

Final Thoughts

Everything considering, there's a long way to go, so let's try to back our team, be patient, and hope the future brings many more happy Blue Days.  

Up the Chels!

No thanks.

A rotten tree does not go on to bear good fruit.

9 hours ago, NikoM said:

When assessing our squad depth, it is hardly surprising to question how a club that has spent over a billion pounds on players still finds itself lacking serious, high-impact individuals. Instead, our substitutes’ bench often features unproven youngsters such as Mathis Amougou and Aaron Anselmino. The reason for this predicament is, unfortunately, quite simple: recruitment.

Since Boehly and Clearlake took control of our Chelsea in the summer of 2022, their transfer strategy has been extensive but, in many cases, ineffective. A closer look at our signings over the past three seasons reveals a significant number of transfers that have provided little or no positive impact on our current squad.

In the 2022/23 season, we spent £232.1 million on players with no or minimum impact on our current team: Mudryk (£60 million), Sterling (£47.5 million), Koulibaly (£33 million), Badiashile (£32.7 million), Chukwuemeka (£20 million), Casadei (£12.5 million), Aubameyang (£10.3 million), Fofana (£10.3 million), Slonina (£5.8 million).

The following season 2023/24, we invested £172.6 million in another set of signings with no or minimum impact on our current team: Nkunku (£52 million), Disasi (£38.5 million), Ugochukwu (£23.1 million), Sanchez (£20 million), Petrovic (£12.5 million), Washington (£13.5 million), Angelo (£13 million).

Most recently, in the 2024/25 season, we spent £138.9 million on further transfers with no or minimum impact on our current team: Felix (£42 million), Dewsbury-Hall (£30 million), Kellyman (£19 million), Veiga (£11.8 million), Anselmino (£15.6 million), Amougou (£12 million), Wiley (£8.5 million).

Therefore, across these three transfer windows, we have spent approximately £543.6 million on players with no or minimum impact on our current team. Meanwhile, we’ve offloaded our highly experienced and homegrown players such as Kante, Kovacic, Gallagher, Azpilicueta, Hudson-Odoi & Lewis Hall.

Additionally, we overpaid for certain players, such as Enzo (£106.8 million), while also signing talented yet heavily injury-prone individuals like Fofana (£70 million) from Leicester City.

Despite these missteps, there have been some positive transfers. Across these three seasons, we made several good signings:

- 2022/23: Cucurella (£55 million), Madueke (£28.5 million), Gusto (£26.3 million), Andrey Santos (£18 million)

-2023/24: Caicedo (£115 million), Lavia (£53 million), Palmer (£40 million), Jackson (£31.8 million)

-2024/25: Neto (£54 million), Estevao (£29 million), and two potentially good transfers, yet still hard to determine whether good or bad: Sancho (£20 million) and Jorgensen (£20.7 million).

Overall, ever since Boehly and Clearlake took over control of our Chelsea, they have got rid of 99% of the pre-Clearlake squad, making just 14 good transfer deals—if we include Enzo and Fofana—but technically only 12, as we have yet to see Brazilians Estevão and Santos pull on the blue shirt. Adding to that list our two academic products, our young and currently struggling Levi Colwill and our unfortunately injury-prone captain James, and considering Tosin and Chalobah as only temporary solutions, we are still left with only 14 to 16 arguably very good players in our current team after three seasons since the takeover.  

With so many transfers completed over the past three years, I wouldn’t call this a job well done. Considering our continual struggles with injuries and fluctuating individual form (Sancho, Enzo, etc.), I fear there is Still a long way to go. Particularly considering the fact that this is only Maresca’s second full season as a first-team manager, meaning that—like most of our players—he is still adjusting to the Premier League, learning, and honing his managerial skills.  

Final Thoughts

Everything considering, there's a long way to go, so let's try to back our team, be patient, and hope the future brings many more happy Blue Days.  

Up the Chels!

Largely with you on your analysis (though I think Sancho was a good transfer in given his talent, low fee and reduced wages, whereas Neto cost too much for what he is (a bit of a flat track bully who struggles against better teams).

However I do think we need to keep in mind that the Bohley temporary sporting director period and the period we are in now with Winstanley/Stewart as sporting directors is different and probably needs to be seperated in any analysis.

That first window under Bohley was really really poor in hindsight. Lots of expensive, big name, older players on big wages and big fees that didn't land. The period since has been more mixed with some really good transfers (Palmer, Jackson, Estevao, Sancho) mixed in with many more midling to poor transfers (Felix, KDH, Enzo, Mudryk, Badiashile, etc).

Edited February 16Feb 16 by Qaz