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Chelsea transfer window in review: Record Fernandez deal, £300m spent but glaring issues
Chelsea have continued where they left off in the summer by continuing to spend big under Todd Boehly and co since the new ownership group took control of the club in the summer. Seven players moved to Stamford Bridge as the Blues spent over £300million to bolster Graham Potter’s squad that is currently languishing in mid-table. Here, Express Sport has reviewed Chelsea’s transfer window.
Enzo Fernandez became the British transfer record as Chelsea and Benfica finally made a breakthrough in negotiations over a £105m deal, surpassing Jack Grealish’s £100m move to Manchester City in 2021.
The World Cup winner only joined Benfica in the summer for around £10m but will need to make a strong first impression to begin to live up to his price tag, though he has eight-and-a-half years on his contract to win over the fans.
Fernandez joined Joao Felix, Mykhaylo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos as new additions at Stamford Bridge this month while Chelsea also agreed deals for Christopher Nkunku and Malo Gusto, who will join in the summer. Chelsea largely gave Potter what he wanted this window, as his squad received significant investment and a lot of quality has been added.
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Mudryk and Felix both looked electric in their short cameos, while Badiashile has impressed alongside Thiago Silva in the heart of the defence. Madueke has shown plenty of promise in the Eredivisie and is a top talent for the future alongside Santos and Fofana, but after a huge transfer outlay there are still issues in the squad. Kai Havertz is still expected to lead the line though he has just six goals this season in 27 appearances and no recognised centre-forward has been signed despite the huge amount of money that has been spent.
Chelsea identified right-back as an area that needed more competition due to Reece James’ injury woes and while Gusto will join in the summer, this season’s issues remain. Jorginho was the Blues’ only permanent exit as he left for London rivals Arsenal in a potential £12million deal.
“I think we’ve got to be not necessarily careful, but I think you’ve just got to understand that we’ve got about 10 players unavailable.
“Obviously you can’t just sign players to replace those because in the end, you have a squad of 30. You have to do the right thing and the window is complicated in January.”
While Chelsea also have a decision to make as they can only register three new players in their Champions League squad for the knockout stages. Four of their January additions in the form of Felix, Mudryk, Fernandez, Madueke, Badiashile, Fofana and Santos will not be able to compete in the upcoming European tie with Borussia Dortmund.
Published at Wed, 01 Feb 2023 06:30:00 +0000
