“The idea of spending money again is bullshit”
Dominic King has criticized Chelsea’s desire to spend big in yet another transfer window.
Last season, Chelsea dreamed of a new era. Under Thomas Tuchel, they had an aggressive transfer window, bringing in a whopping 14 players, including Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Mark Cucurella, and Kani Chukwuemeka. It was enough to raise expectations for the new season.
But when the lid was lifted, the results were disastrous. The results didn’t improve and the team went through several coaching changes. Tuchel was sacked, followed by Graham Potter and Chelsea legend Frank Lampard. It didn’t make a difference, and they finished a dismal 12th. Chelsea also failed to qualify for Europe for the first time in six years.
Under new manager Mauricio Pochettino, Chelsea aimed to rebound ahead of the season. Like last year, they had an active summer transfer window. They brought in Moises Casedo for £100 million, the highest transfer fee in the Premier League (PL), spent £52 million on Christopher Nkunku and £40 million on Cole Palmer, and made 12 new signings.
In the two years since Todd Boeli was appointed manager, Chelsea has been thrifty in the transfer market. The Blues spent £323 million in January as they embarked on a major overhaul of their squad. Add in the £260 million spent last summer, and Chelsea has spent nearly £1 billion on transfers.
They’ve spent a lot of money on power, but it’s not paying off. They haven’t finished higher than 10th in the league since the first half of the season. Chelsea is in 10th place with just eight wins, four draws, and eight losses in 20 games. In the first leg of the EFL Cup quarterfinals, the Blues lost 0-1 to Middlesbrough in the English Championship, marking their first defeat against a lower league team in 25 years.
A rash of injuries can no longer be used as an excuse for poor form. A number of Chelsea players have gone down with injuries since the start of the season. Ben Chilwell, Chukwuemeka, Christopher Nkunkwo, Leslie Ugochukwu, Kukurela, Leicester James, Robert Sanchez, and Trevor Chalobah are still sidelined. As the season has progressed, injury problems have plagued other teams as well, including Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Liverpool, none of whom are ranked lower than Chelsea.
In January, Chelsea’s ambitions remain high. Napoli’s Victor Osimhen is their number one target. They plan to prepare a buyout clause of £130 million. They have also been linked with Juventus’ Blagojevich and Brighton & Hove Albion’s Evan Ferguson, all of whom would command a hefty transfer fee.
King has criticized Chelsea’s plans. Speaking on his podcast ‘It’s All Kicking Off’, he said, “It’s a waste of money. It’s like putting a few new windows in a house with foundation problems and thinking it’s going to look okay. The idea that you’re going to throw away everything you’ve put in over the last 18 months and start spending money again is really bullshit.”
