£250m on defenders with Havertz up front! Chelsea's transfer window is a mess

Updated: 31 Aug 2022 01:01 BST
3 min read

Chelsea could end this transfer window having spent an incredible £250 million on defenders alone all while they struggle with a makeshift striker up front in Kai Havertz.

Having already spent more than £90m on Marc Cucurella and Kalidou Koulibaly, the Blues are set to seal the £80m capture of Wesley Fofana from Leicester and are reportedly in advanced talks with RB Leipzig to sign Josko Gvardiol next summer for £77m.

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Although the investment in the backline may have been necessary due to the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, the focus on defence has left Chelsea's team woefully imbalanced.

Thomas Tuchel's side put in another toothless display as they lost 2-1 to Southampton and they have only scored three goals in their last three games, all from summer signing Raheem Sterling.

While Sterling has adapted well to his forward role since joining from Manchester City, Havertz has looked out of sorts in his five starts this season up top.

The German has scored just once in his last 13 games and he had the fewest touches of any of Chelsea's outfield starters against Southampton.

Tuchel had moderate success fielding Havertz as a false nine during Romelu Lukaku's troubled months last season but it is clear the former Leverkusen wonderkid is not comfortable in the role.

Failure to secure a natural goal scorer before deadline day could make a mockery of, not only their transfer window, but their entire season.

Chelsea paying the price for not paying the price

Chelsea opted to allow their only other strikers in Lukaku and Timo Werner leave the club without having an adequate replacement lined up and the lack of a goalscorer has cost the team multiple points already.

Elite level strikers have been something of a premium for teams this window but new owner Todd Boehly has shown he is willing to pay the going rate for the right player.

The club have been willing to splash out record fees for defenders but have been haggling with Barcelona over a difference of around £5m for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, whom they have outlined as their primary striker target.

The Blues are perhaps understandably reluctant to spend big on yet another striker after the disastrous signing of Lukaku for nearly £100m last summer but the fear of another expensive write-off is holding the team back.

Mason Mount and Kai Havertz have played a combined 777 minutes this Premier League season.

They've combined for 0 goals and 0 assists during that span 😳 pic.twitter.com/vWwIgtlF1M
— ESPN FC (@ESPNFC) August 30, 2022

Tuchel only has 20-year-old Armando Broja to turn to as an alternative to Havertz but the Albanian still has a long way to go before he can be relied on as a goal scorer.

With Chelsea's defence still looking shaky despite the investment and Tuchel desperately switching from a three to a four man defence in a bid to give his side more quality up top, it appears that a new striker is the only solution.