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Chelsea have adopted a scattergun approach in the signing of players since new owners Todd Boehly and private equity Clearlake Capital took over in 2022.
The 2024-25 season has followed a similar trajectory, with Joao Felix ( previously signed for a whopping £9.7m in January 2023 for a half-season loan) becoming the latest addition to an increasingly bloating squad.
A worrying sight for many fans, ex-players, coaching staff, and players alike. Amidst all the turmoil on signings, the brunt of it has been limited game time for players, with Raheem Sterling — signed two seasons ago for €56.2m from Manchester City — demanding clarity on his future an hour before facing his former employers over the weekend in Chelsea’s season opener.
Head coach Enzo Maresca, who steered Leicester City back to the English top flight after clinching the championship last term, has been under immense pressure since his appointment in June.
Even before a ball was kicked to usher the London club into his era, Maresca had to deal with an off-field event which transpired in Argentina’s team bus after Enzo Fernandez was seen on a live stream gleefully belting out racist and transphobic chants at France’s players after winning the summer’s Copa America.
Enzo’s team-mate, Fofana (who has won two senior caps with France ), took to his social media and said: “Football in 2024, uninhibited racism”.
This was the first step taking in what looked like a mini-French revolution at Chelsea as French stars, Malo Gusto, Axel Disasi, and Christopher Nkunku, all unfollowed their team-mate on social media.
Enzo then apologized to for his actions: “I want to apologise sincerely. The song includes highly offensive language and there is absolutely no excuse for these words,” he wrote.
“I stand against discrimination in all forms and apologise for getting caught up in the euphoria of our Copa America celebrations. That video, that moment, those words, do not reflect my beliefs or my character. I am truly sorry,” he added.
Chelsea’s Datro Fofana, who returned to the club earlier this summer after his loan spell at Burnley, criticized the video after Enzo’s apology.
“The football that I like is multi-ethnic. Racism in all its forms should be condemned in the strongest possible terms. These acts have no place in football or even anywhere else. This fight really needs to be taken seriously by everyone in this sport,” he wrote.
At the end of an internal disciplinary approach conducted by the club, Enzo was not charged, nor fined by the club, while his manager upheld the view that he saw no bad intention in Enzo’s chant.
Chelsea were soon in the headlines once more after an insipid display saw them play out a 2-2 stalemate against Wrexham in their first pre-season game.
The outcome of the game set the tone for the remainder of the pre-season fixtures as Maresca’s pre-season results ( 1 win in 6 games) didn’t make for good reading.
Amidst the glaring on-field issues, the off-field events – including Enzo’s racist chants – seemed to outweigh the team, with the persistent influx of players across Europe hindering the team’s development as well.
This is far from the ideal start Enzo Maresca envisaged: “To join Chelsea, one of the biggest clubs in the world, is a dream for any coach,” Maresca told the media after he was confirmed as Mauricio Pochettino’s successor.
However, it’s been a nightmare for Enzo Maresca and Chelsea’s fanbase. His appointment meant he became the sixth managerial change for Chelsea in the last five years and the fourth since Todd Boehly’s reign.
What is making rounds on Chelsea’s crisis?
After the disappointing draw against Wrexham, Enzo Maresca remained positive, despite his team struggling to cope with his identity of playing out from the back; a constant theme throughout pre-season. Error-strewn performances that exposed their defensive frailties.
“Yes, at this moment we are trying to build with three [defenders] and two [in defensive midfield]. First half it was with Reece James inside and in the second half it was with Malo Gusto inside.
“It doesn’t matter what the level of the opposition is when they sit back with 11 players behind the ball, it is always difficult to find space and solutions. It is not easy.
“We tried in the first half and we tried in the second half and for sure we did many things where we can improve. But we only started two weeks ago so for me, tonight it was important to start to see the identity of the team and the identity is there,” he said.
Chelsea wrapped up pre-season with a 1-1 draw against Inter Milan, which was preceded by a 2-1 loss to Real Madrid and a 4-2 defeat to Manchester City.
Morale amongst the club’s supporters is at a very low ebb under the current ownership, and the opening day’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester City in the Premier League added gloss to the general feel around the club.
Club supporters have been left in limbo — not knowing the direction of sail of the team, nor what to expect — but the ardent Noah Kaha, is hopeful of great things:” I’m excited. I have a lot of hope and, first and foremost, I have a lot of patience. There’s a lot of players, a lot of new players. A new coach who has a system he wants to instil and I trust him. I think as Chelsea fans we want to see results, he told CBC Sports about his season’s expectations.
It would be difficult but not improbable, given their ever-growing squad, for Chelsea to come out of the season with any silverware, which will be their first since the 2021 Uefa Super Cup victory against Villarreal.
The hounded-out Mauricio Pochettino put together a five-game winning streak at the back end of last season, which was good enough to see Chelsea make the Uefa Conference League but not good enough to keep him in the job.
Despite competing on four fronts (Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Conference League) in the 2024/25 season, head coach Maresca is uncertain if all of his bloated squad will play a part in the season.
“If they are looking for minutes, then it is better if they leave. If they do not leave, then they have a contract here and they are a Chelsea player,” he said.
“For sure, it’s not a comfortable situation. I don’t have any doubt. When I was a player, I had the exact same happen to me, so I know exactly 100% the feeling.
“But also, I think it’s good to know that if you are going to stay, then you are going to struggle to get minutes. Now in this moment, it is not the best situation. But probably in two days, in one week, 10 days, it can be a better situation because you move, you join a club where you are going to play more games,” he added.
Chelsea’s Ben Chilwell and Raheem Sterling, who both missed out on the opening day loss to Manchester City, have been omitted from the Conference League qualification squad set to take on Servette tomorrow, amid growing squad unrest
“Brutal? I don’t think so. I try to be honest. I can repeat again if it’s not clear: I spoke with Raheem before the City game. I said he is going to struggle to get minutes with us and this is the reason why he is out of the squad.”
I’m not working with 42 or 43 players. You like to say we have 42 or 43 players but more than 15 players are training apart, they are not with the team,” said the former Leicester City manager.
“I don’t see them, so it’s not a mess like it looks from the outside. Absolutely not.”
The signing of Joao Felix takes Chelsea’s squad to a little above 40 players, with a chunk of them expected to leave before the English transfer deadline on August 30.
However, former Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is dissatisfied with the Blues’ business (especially in the forward areas) and believes the team – despite spending in excess of £150m on signings this summer – still need a proven finisher.
“You need a striker who knows how to hit a ball back in the back of the net and that’s what we don’t have,” he said.
“I know I talk so much about him [Jackson] and sometimes I sound like I disrespect him. I don’t disrespect him.
“I think at Chelsea Football Club we need a top striker who can get us a goal. A bit like [Haaland], 91 goals [for City] that’s absolutely unbelievable,” he added
Club fans outside the team’s home ground also waded in on the club’s crisis. One fan was insistent Chelsea’s owners be given time: “I think we need to give them time. It’s a four year transfer window. They are buying tactically now, and then in four years, wait until you see, he told BR football.
For another fan, he has doubts ringing in his mind on the club’s structure and direction: “ Our board are not proven at the highest level, our manager Marresca is not proven at the highest level, the players we are signing are not proven at the highest level. So, you look at this and say, are Chelsea going to win a title? the answer is no”.
While one fan emphasized the importance of delivering good results: “It’s a mixed bag but they desperately need some good results to get the fans back onside, because a lot of their actions have not gone down well, he remarked”
Chelsea’s current club direction divides opinions, with the club’s fans restless and uncertain as to who would pop up next on the scene.
But for manager Maresca, his goal is not on delivering immediate success but building for the long-term.
“The vision I have is that the club is looking for something for 5 or 10 years. Nobody from the club asked me for the Champions League spot this year. What they said is that we need to arrive and compete, step by step”, he said.
Arrivals and Departures
A lot of outgoings, equally as incomings, have come in at Chelsea. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Leicester City’s Player of the Season as they gained promotion back to the Premier League, came through the doors of Stamford Bridge with Enzo Maresca for £35.40m.
Goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen joined from Villarreal in a £24.50m deal, as well as Aston Villa’s U-21, Omari Kellyman (£22.50), Aaron Anselmino from Boca Juniors (£16.50), Basel’s Renato Veiga (£14.00), Atalanta United’s Caleb Wiley (£10.10m), Barcelona’s Marc Guiu (£6.00m), Wolves’ Pedro Neto (£54m), Atletico Madrid outcast Joao Felix (£45m), and Fulham’s Tosin Adarabioyo (free transfer).
Chelsea have spent in the region of £228m on incomings, with the Blues expected to go in for a marquee forward before the closure of the transfer window.
A number of players have also left the club; Veteran Thiago Silva joined Fluminese on a free, Dion Rankine moved to Wigan for an undisclosed fee.
Malang Sarr ( free transfer) has also moved to Lille, with Hakim Ziyech moving to Galatasaray (£2.5m), Lewis Hall joining Newcastle (£28m), Omari Hutchison (£18 add-ons) completing a permanent switch to Ipswich Town as well.
Jamie Cumming’s undisclosed move to Oxford United, Chinonso Chibueze following suit to Stoke City, Charlie Webster’s switch to Burton and Albion (undisclosed), and Ian Maatsen’s (£37.5m) move to Aston Villa.
Conor Gallagher’s £33m switch to Atletico Madrid means the team has been able to generate about £119m through player sales. Albanian forward Armando Borja is also expected to join newly promoted side Ipswich Town on a season-long loan with a £30m obligation to buy.
By: Andrews Sefa Bamfo
The post Wonderful mess: Chelsea’s free-spending spells doom first appeared on 3News.
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