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News
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Chelsea FLOP breaks unwanted record as forgotten star becomes Boehly's BIGGEST transfer mistake
Suraj Radia
- 22 Feb 2026 13:02 GMT
- 5 min read
Analysis
One of Chelsea’s forgotten stars made unwanted history this week in a stark reminder of the money that the Premier League giants have blown in the Todd Boehly and Clearlake era.
No club in world football has spent more money on transfers since the takeover led by Boehly in 2022, with Chelsea having splashed out more than €1.7 billion on players in that time – nearly double their nearest rivals.
While the spending has helped Chelsea transform their squad into a younger team on significantly lower wages, the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup double last year have been the only trophies won since the Clearlake takeover.
Furthermore, despite the significant outlay, Chelsea’s squad has still been left with issues that will need to be addressed in the summer, with their midfield still lacking balance and quality in depth.
A huge problem has been the long-term absences of squad players such as €22 million summer signing Dario Essugo, who has yet to make his league debut, although arguably the most frustrating situation has been that of Romeo Lavia.
Compared
Roméo Lavia
DM, M (C)
Chelsea
Roméo Lavia
DM, M (C)
Chelsea
VS
Dário Essugo
DM, M (C)
Chelsea
Dário Essugo
DM, M (C)
Chelsea
|
|
ETV |
|
| €40.4M - €49.4M | ETV Range | €26.5M - €32.3M |
| 22 years old (06 Jan, 2004) | Age | 20 years old (14 Mar, 2005) |
|
Belgium
|
Nationality |
Portugal
|
Lavia joined Chelsea for €62m in 2023 but he has shockingly yet to complete a full 90 minutes for the Blues and the 22-year-old broke an intriguing record by becoming the most expensive player to feature in the Premier League 2 after playing against Leeds for the reserves this week.
Lavia proving to be Chelsea’s biggest disaster deal
Lavia arrived at Stamford Bridge with a glowing reputation, having impressed in his first senior campaign with Southampton, which saw Chelsea push heavily to beat Liverpool to his signing in August 2023.
However, upon joining, Lavia struggled with fitness and his 45-minute debut in December that year was his only appearance of the season due to injury.
The Belgian was then limited to just 16 league appearances last season due to a number of hamstring issues and he has only played 106 minutes this year, with his last senior match coming in November.
Lavia is the sixth most expensive defensive midfielder signing in history but there are doubts whether the youngster will ever fulfil his potential or justify his significant outlay.
Of course, as seen with other stars such as Raheem Sterling and the banned Mykhailo Mudryk, Chelsea are not afraid to cut their losses on their expensive investments and simply replace them with newer, high-cost alternatives.
However, Lavia will represent among the worst of Chelsea’s business unless the midfielder can finally find some fitness after yet another long layoff or risk his career fizzling out into another ‘what if’ story despite a world of potential.
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