Pochettino urges calm after Chelsea lose at Man Utd
Todd Boehly’s reign as Chelsea owner might not yet be considered a success but one thing the American billionaire cannot be accused of is not putting his money where his mouth is. Since taking control of the West London club from Roman Abramovich in May 2022 in deal believed to be worth around £4.25billion, Boehly has been on a spending spree like no other.
An astonishing 29 players have been signed under the businessman’s watch at a cost of over £1bn. Return on investment has been in short supply. Chelsea finished last season 12th in the Premier League and failed to qualify for Europe. This year they are currently 10th after 15 matches.
The rotation of high-paid players is not matched in the dugout but has been relentless nevertheless. Thomas Tuchel was replaced by Graham Potter, who was in turn removed in favour of Frank Lampard on a temporary basis as the Blues tried to work out how to get the best out of their inflated squad – and failed.
Now former Tottenham and Paris-Saint Germain manager Mauricio Pochettino is the man in charge and even the respected Argentine has discovered how difficult it appears to be to get a tune out a squad that is highly paid but underachieving.
Not every signing under Boehly’s ownership has been a disaster, however. Here Express Sport takes a look at the five best and five worst deals since the American got his hands on the club.
Five best signings
1. Cole Palmer
Palmer caused a bit of surprise when he chose to leave Premier League champions Manchester City last summer in pursuit of regular first team football. The 21-year-old cost £40m to bring to Stamford Bridge on a bumper seven-year contract but he has already shown his worth with five goals in 12 Premier League appearances.
2. Moises Caicedo
Another summer singing, the Ecuadorian midfielder did not come cheap as Chelsea were forced to outbid Liverpool who had already agreed a fee with Brighton & Hove Albion. The Blues finally got their man however, but only after parting with a club record £115m. Caicedo has firmly established himself in the heart of Chelsea’s midfield, playing in 13 out of 15 Premier League games so far this season.
3. Robert Sanchez
Another former Brighton player. They know their stuff on the south coast. Goalkeeper Sanchez joined last summer from the Seagulls for £25m, replacing Kepa Arrizabalaga who departed for Real Madrid on loan. The 26-year-old has been an ever-present for the Blues since his arrival and has been praised for his attitude and positivity during a period of transition for the club.
4. Enzo Fernandez
Midfielder Fernandez shot to prominance at the 2022 World Cup as he helped Argentina and Lionel Messi to clinch the trophy for the first time since 1986. He was already playing in Europe with Benfica so was never going to come cheap, and he didn’t. Chelsea paid a then-club record £107m for the 21-year-old – ten times more than Benfica had acquired him for just 12 months earlier. But despite a slow start he has become the heartbeat of the Blues midfield, forming a solid partnership with Caicedo that could form the axis of their engine room for years to come.
5. Raheem Sterling
Had this article been collacted six months ago it is unlikely that former Liverpool and Manchester City forward Sterling would have made the grade. But a sharp upturn in form this season, coupled with five Premier League goals in 14 matches – just one less than he scored in the whole of last season – has got the winger back on track.
With a £50m price tag, he certainly needed to deliver in the blue of Chelsea and now Gareth Southgate will perhaps start thinking about putting him back in the England sqaud.
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Five worst signings
1. Romeo Lavia
Depsite having just spent a club-record fee on Moises Caicedo, Boehly and Chelsea seemingly couldn’t resist splurging an extra £58m on Southampton midfielder Lavia, stopping him from joining Liverpool in the process. It’s early days for the 19-year-old but he is yet to play a single minute for the Blues after suffering a muscle injury before compounding it further with an ankle problem that has sidelined him for several more weeks.
2. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
At £10.3m Aubameyang might be one of Boehly’s less costly purchases but that didn’t make him a successful one. After leaving Arsenal for Barcelona, a productive six-month spell with the Catalans convinced Chelsea he was worth bringing in, but a disasterous year at Stamford Bridge saw Aubameyang make only 21 appearances in all competitions with most of them coming off the bench. He scored just three goals and was shipping out by Pochettino in the summer.
3. Kalidou Koulibaly
The capture of giant centre-back Koulibaly from Seria A outfit Napoli for £34m had been considered quite a coup on his arrival, but the Senegal captain left all his best form in Italy. Despite signing a four-year deal, he was out of the door after only one, joining Saudi Pro League side Al-Hilal last summer.
4. Mykhaylo Mudryk
The jury is still out on Ukrainian winger Mudryk, who looked the absolute business for Shakhtar Donetsk, so much so that it convinced Chelsea to part with £88m and let him sign an eye-watering eight-year contract on January 15, 2023. The 22-year-old played 15 games in the second half of last season but didn’t score a single goal.
Mudryk has found the next twice in 14 appearances so far this term, but it’s fair to assume that Boehly was looking for a bit more bang for his buck.
5. Benoit Badiashile
Much like Koulibaly in Italy, Badiashile had been identified as one of the best central defenders in France and was captured from AS Monaco for £32.7m in January, signing a seven-and-a-half-year contract. He was soon in the Chelsea side but suffered injuries and has fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of Axel Disasi and the integration of Levi Colwill in the first team set-up. The 22-year-old suffered a nightmare performance in Chelsea’s recent 4-1 defeat to Newcastle United and according to Tuttomercatoweb, AC Milan have lodged a bid to take him on loan in January with an opton to buy, although the first offer is reported to have been rejected.
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