Chelsea face HUGE transfer headache after Leeds humiliation

Cameron Smith

• 4 Dec 2025 09:16 GMT
• 5 min read

Analysis

After the highs of a 3-0 victory over Barcelona and an excellent performance during a 1-1 draw versus Arsenal on Sunday, Chelsea came crashing back down to earth on Wednesday night.

The Blues succumbed to a 3-1 defeat to relegation candidates Leeds United at Elland Road and they have now slipped down to fourth place in the Premier League table as a result - just three points ahead of Everton in 10th.

Current ETV

Tosin Adarabioyo

D (C)

Chelsea

Tosin Adarabioyo

D (C)

Chelsea

€23.6M

ETV Range

€21.3M - €26M

View full profile

Enzo Maresca’s side once again struggled to break down a deep block and their in-possession back three of Trevoh Chalobah, Tosin Adarabioyo and Benoit Badiashile were unfathomably slow at moving the ball in the first-half.

Things improved marginally after a double substitution at half-time, in which Badiashile was replaced by Malo Gusto and Estevao Willian was removed for Pedro Neto, but Chelsea still largely failed to create meaningful chances.

The returning Cole Palmer notably guided a left-footed effort wide of the post after his introduction from the bench, but Chelsea created less than 1xG at Elland Road while their opponents racked up a whopping 2.79.

Daniel Farke opted to deploy a 3-5-2 formation following the success of that system in the second-half against Manchester City on Saturday, and the strike partnership of Lucas Nmecha and Dominic Calvert-Lewin caused significant problems for the Chelsea backline.

Jaka Bijol put Leeds ahead via a bullet header from a corner in the sixth minute, while Ao Tanaka made it 2-0 shortly before half-time after a loose and inaccurate pass from Tosin was miscontrolled by Enzo Fernandez.

The aforementioned Neto pulled one back following excellent wing play from Jamie Gittens, but a defensive mix-up from the Blues put the game to bed in the 72nd minute.

After winning possession back from Gabriel Gudmundsson, Gusto played a one-two with Fernandez before rolling the ball into Tosin’s path. The 28-year-old’s first touch was heavy and his laboured reaction enabled Noah Okafor to pinch the ball inside the penalty area, before Calvert-Lewin tapped home into an empty net.

Chelsea set for 2026 transfer headache

Tosin has featured for 80 minutes or more in nine matches across all competitions so far this season, with Chelsea’s win rate standing at 44% in those games. By comparison, in the 12 matches that he hasn’t played 80 minutes or more, the Blues’ win rate is 67%.

Furthermore, the 28-year-old has typically featured in matches against easier opponents. He started against Bayern Munich, granted, but he wasn’t included in the starting XI versus Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona or Arsenal.

Of course, Tosin isn’t solely to blame for Chelsea’s middling results when he is on the pitch, however he is evidently a level below both Wesley Fofana and Trevoh Chalobah in regards to ability. Blues fans would also point out that Josh Acheampong deserves to be starting ahead of the ex-Fulham man given his form this campaign.

Maresca evidently still regards Tosin as a valuable member of the Chelsea squad, but with Mamadou Sarr and Aaron Anselmino both impressing out on loan this term, the Blues are set to be faced with a transfer headache next summer.

Tosin will be 29 years old next September and given Chelsea’s current transfer model, it may not be long before he is fazed out of the team. In addition, the fact he was signed on a Bosman deal means the Blues would be able to accept a relatively low transfer fee next summer and still turn a profit.

However, Maresca’s continued desire to select Tosin ahead of Acheampong against lesser opponents suggests that he wants to keep him at the club. As a result, Chelsea are set to face a major headache in regards to the 28-year-old next summer, especially as Dortmund have already admitted they would like to keep the aforementioned Anselmino when his loan spell ends.

The Argentina youngster has enjoyed an excellent start to life at the Signal Iduna Park and his form suggests that Chelsea would be wise to offload Tosin and integrate Anselmino into the first-team.

Whether or not that happens may depend on if the recruitment team decide Tosin simply isn’t good enough for a team with title aspirations.

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