How Chelsea have blown €300m on four big signings

3 Jan 2022 12:48 GMT
3 min read

Romelu Lukaku, Chelsea, 2021-22 — © ProShots

Chelsea have been notoriously big-spenders since Roman Abramovich arrived at the club, and it's brought them plenty of success.

Silverware has piled at Stamford Bridge, and the Blues are the current reigning Champions League holders after their triumph in 2021.

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Their glory over the past two decades has been mostly been achieved thanks to the work of impressive signings, although their excellent academy system has come to prominence recently.

The strategy of buying talent from across Europe has continued to this day, but it hasn't quite worked out of late.

While the Blues, as mentioned, were victorious in the Champions League final, it was accomplished thanks to Thomas Tuchel's system, and defensive shape; far more so than fluid attacking genius.

The main reason for that is the lack of output their attackers produced last season - a theme that has rolled over into the 2021/22 season.

In fact, despite spending bucket loads of cash on forward talent, Chelsea's attack is far inferior to their rivals, and their most dangerous player still remains academy graduate Mason Mount.

How have Chelsea wasted their money?

Chelsea have amazingly spent roughly €300 million on their forward line over the past two seasons, yet it's been a complete waste.

The most damning comparison is the fact Liverpool's trio of Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane, and Diogo Jota cost just €133m, and have all been roaring successes. It's a similar story at Manchester City.

Chelsea's most recent forward purchase was Belgian striker Romelu Lukaku, who arrived for a club record fee of €115m (£97.5m). It was a dream homecoming back to Stamford Bridge, but it's quickly turned sour.

He has admitted he wants to return to Inter, and was dropped from Chelsea's squad to face Liverpool. Not ideal for a club record signing.

Kai Havertz, Timo Werner, and Hakim Ziyech were all purchased in 2020, and under Frank Lampard's wishes. At a time when most of Europe were hamstrung by the coronavirus pandemic, Chelsea chose to pounce, and landed the trio to revitalise their attack.

However, despite arriving with such high expectations, they've all disappointed. Werner, who cost €58m (£49m), has proven to be a useful creator, but his goal-scoring numbers simply haven't been good enough. Neither have Havertz's, who arrived for €85m (£75.8) after an immense breakthrough in Germany. He was tipped to rival the likes of Kylian Mbappe and Erling Haaland for future Ballon d'Or's, but that seems a dream right now. He may have displayed flashes of promise, but his lack of physicality, and the fact he doesn't seem secure in possession, has cost him so far.

Hakim Ziyech was the cheapest at €40m (£33.6m), but he's found the transition from the Eredivisie to the Premier League a step too much, despite showing glimpses of brilliance, particularly against Manchester City.

Chelsea's attack has let them down in recent times, but given the outlay they've spent in that department, it simply shouldn't be an issue.

So far, it's been €300m wasted.