Chelsea have spent an unprecedented £1 billion over the last three transfer windows, but it hasn’t really worked so far. The club have won two of their seven matches, drawing one and losing three under new manager Mauricio Pochettino and sit 11th in the Premier League table, already 10 points behind leaders Manchester City.
Although they have assembled a group comprised of some of the most talented young players in the world, all on long-term contracts, it is possible that their strategy has been better focused on more experienced players who could make an immediate impact.
Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but here’s who Chelsea should have trusted over the summer.
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Center forward
After letting go of Romelu Lukaku (on loan to AS Roma), Kai Havertz (£65m to Arsenal) and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (free transfer to Marseille), Chelsea were left with Armando Broja, 22, injured, and the 18-year-old Brazilian inexperienced. Deivid Washington, 12, is the team’s only center forward.
Nicolas Jackson, a £30million arrival from Villarreal in the summer, can also play in the middle, despite having the skills of a winger or even a second striker. While Raheem Sterling (£47.5m), Mykhailo Mudryk (£62m) and, before his long-term injury, Christopher Nkunku (£52m), can all do the job of ‘fake No. 9.” However, with a proven goalscorer arguably the first priority when overhauling a team, you would have thought Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly would have signed one.
Chelsea have scored just seven goals in their seven Premier League matches – Man City have 17, for context – and Sterling is their top scorer with two.
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14h00
Laurens: Osimhen contract extension now ‘very delicate’ for Napoli
Julien Laurens explains why Napoli’s social media posts mocking Victor Osimhen couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Who should they have signed? Victor Osimhen
Napoli’s top scorer last season in Serie A is widely regarded as one of the best centre-forwards in the game, arguably behind Man City’s Erling Haaland and now Bayern Munich star Harry Kane in the pecking order. world-class No. 9.
Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis is known for leading tough negotiations, but a £150m fee would likely have made a transfer happen – long before the Italian club antagonized their star man by mocking him on social media – which is small. change for a club that spent so much on the rest of the squad, especially the inexperienced teenagers.
Osimhen, 24, is an excellent finisher (26 goals in Serie A last season; five in six games this campaign) and the Nigeria international’s movement through the defensive line, his speed to stretch opponents and his aerial power would be of exceptional value to a team who are much better at creating chances than converting them.
Other options: Goncalo Ramos, Dusan Vlahovic
Paris Saint-Germain beat their rivals to secure a loan deal (with a £56m bond to sign permanently next summer) for Ramos. The 22-year-old Portuguese international may not have set Ligue 1 on fire yet (two goals in six games), but he has already proven enough that Benfica (41 goals in 106) and Portugal (eight goals in six) show that it is one. of the best young central strikers in Europe.
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Ramos offers a good hold-up game – useful for creating space and combining with wide forwards or midfield runners – is strong in the air and also has a quick finishing technique. In terms of playing style, he would certainly have offered a set of qualities that the Chelsea team lack, while they could have paid the fee to Benfica up front without the need for a loan.
Vlahovic only arrived at Juventus from Fiorentina for around £70m in January last year but has struggled to settle. Linked with a summer move to all of Europe’s top clubs, the 23-year-old has been given another chance to shine this season and has four goals in six games to date.
Those who have followed the left-footed centre-forward since his debut will know he has untapped potential. But would his style have suited Chelsea better? Given that Juventus generally line up deeper (and tend to press lower), with longer distances between attacking players, it is reasonable to assume that Vlahovic would have seen significantly more of the ball in goal-scoring positions at Chelsea.
Despite having fewer than five touches in the attacking penalty area per 90 minutes, it’s likely that a fresh start in a new environment could also have done wonders for a striker who often appears to lack confidence.
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What will Moises Caicedo bring to Chelsea?
Stewart Robson and Gab Marcotti discuss Moises Caicedo’s potential move to Chelsea from Brighton.
Defensive midfielder
Chelsea have central midfielders in abundance and they are as young as they are immensely talented.
No one would doubt the intrinsic quality of Enzo Fernández (£106.8m), Moisés Caicedo (£100m), Romeo Lavia (£53m), Lesley Ugochukwu (£23.5m) sterling), Carney Chukwuemeka (£20m) or from the academy. graduate Conor Gallagher. However, the latter is, at 23 years old, the most experienced player within the team, after the departures of N’Golo Kanté, Jorginho and Mateo Kovacic.
While this midfield configuration is undoubtedly part of the club’s policy of accumulating elite young talent from around the world, an experienced presence to organize, direct and dictate the pace of the game and plug the holes is the key to the strategic functioning of the team. Some experienced football scouts and managers may say that spending hundreds of millions of pounds on young talent is a good thing, but without a veteran or two, the kids’ talent may end up going to waste.
Who should they have signed? João Palhinha
Although it would not have been a popular move with fans, Fulham’s Palhinha could have made a short trip across west London to do the kind of work that Rodri does every week for Manchester City. Tactically disciplined and strong in tackling, Palhinha is able to excite the rest of the team with quick, intelligent passes – short and long – while expertly positioning himself for counter-attacks, tackles and interceptions.
Tor-Kristian Karlsen is a Norwegian football recruiter and executive and is the former general manager and sporting director of AS Monaco. He will write regularly for ESPN about football business and the scouting process.
Caicedo and Lavia are exceptional in terms of distribution and recovery, but it often takes years of elite-level football to acquire the patience and game-reading skills needed to function as a defensive 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 careful spending, were willing to part with 56 million – which would have made him their fourth most important player. expensive signature of all time – speaks volumes about the value placed on his understated qualities.
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How will Szoboszlai fit into the Liverpool team?
The ESPN FC team debate how new Liverpool signing Dominik Szoboszlai will fit in at Anfield.
Attacking midfielder
While Pochettino shouldn’t complain about the names he can choose from in that department, there could be a case for Chelsea adding a more defined type of playmaker to set proceedings in the final third – especially after letting Mason Mount leaving for Men’s United.
Sterling is an experienced star, Cole Palmer (£35m) and Noni Madueke (£30m) are wildcards given their lack of experience at the age of 22, while Mudryk, 21, is starting to show some of his obvious potential, but Chelsea have been hit hard by Nkunku’s injury. The France international is likely to make a significant impact upon his return, but without him there is a slight drop in quality.
Who should they have signed? Dominik Szoboszlai
How Liverpool ended up signing Szoboszlai from RB Leipzig for his £60m release clause still remains a bit of a mystery without any serious competition from other big European clubs (i.e. not just Chelsea.)
From a significant goal threat from outside the box to brilliant deliveries from set pieces, whilst constantly inviting link-ups and combinations with his teammates in the final third, the Hungarian captain is as elegant as it is effective.
Although Chelsea have no shortage of No.8 midfielders, Szoboszlai – who also has good fitness and a good pressing game – could even make a deeper shift in midfield. And at 22, he certainly represents future value as well.
Another option: Pedro Neto
The Wolves winger could have been a useful addition to a team that, so far this season, has struggled with end product. Quite inexplicably overlooked by big clubs this summer – perhaps due to uncertainties after serious ankle and knee injuries – the 23-year-old can operate equally well on both sides of the attack and has experience of the Premier League since 2019.
While it can be argued that Neto, with his pace and exceptional dribbling ability, thrives best in a counter-attacking team, he still has the technical ability to adapt to a fast team that dominates possession. His acceleration and one-on-one abilities also make him adept at unlocking teams that tend to sit back, while cash-strapped Wolves would likely have listened to offers this summer. He is already linked with Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, as well as Chelsea, for future windows.
2023-10-06 11:15:12
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