Chelsea spent an unprecedented £1 billion across the last three transfer windows, but it hasn’t really worked so far. The club have won two of their seven games, drawing two and losing three under new manager Mauricio Pochettino and sit 11th in the Premier League table — already 10 points adrift of leaders Manchester City.
While they have amassed a group of some of the most-talented young players in the world, all on long-term contracts, it’s possible their strategy might have been better focused towards more experienced players who could make an immediate impact.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but here’s who Chelsea should have put their faith in over the summer.
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Centre-forward
Having let Romelu Lukaku (loan to AS Roma), Kai Havertz (£65 million to Arsenal) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (free transfer to Marseille) depart, Chelsea were left with the injured 22-year-old Armando Broja and untried Brazilian 18-year-old, Deivid Washington as the only out-and-out centre-forwards in the squad.
Nicolas Jackson, who arrived for £30m from Villarreal this summer, can also play through the middle, despite having the skillset of a winger or even second striker. While Raheem Sterling (£47.5m), Mykhailo Mudryk (£62m) and, before his long-term injury, Christopher Nkunku (£52m), can all do a job as a “false No. 9.” However, with a proven goal scorer arguably the first priority when revamping a side, you would have thought Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly would have signed one.
Chelsea have scored just seven goals in their seven Premier League games — Man City have 17, for context — and Sterling is their top scorer with two.
Tor-Kristian Karlsen is a Norwegian football scout and executive and is the former chief executive and sporting director at AS Monaco. He will write regularly for ESPN on the business of soccer and the process of scouting.
Caicedo and Lavia are outstanding at distribution and recovery, but it often takes years of elite-level football to attain the patience and game-reading skills required to operate as a defensive-minded holding midfielder.
At 28, the Portugal international may not fit Chelsea’s approach to the transfer market, but the fact that Bayern Munich, a club known for well-considered spending, were prepared to part with £56m — which would have made him their fourth-most expensive signing ever — speaks volumes about how highly his understated qualities are valued.
