With the transfer window now done and dusted, The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the business conducted by Chelsea this summer.
Nothing deters Chelsea. The Blues have become masters of finding and exploiting loopholes in the transfer market, and even the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules did not deter the West London club as they cleverly circumvented that to secure agreement for multiple singings before the summer transfer window opened.
Many would have thought that the implications of the PSR might stop Chelsea from making around a dozen signings in the summer transfer window. However, they nearly breached that figure with their 11th and final summer arrival, Jadon Sancho, last week.
Chelsea’s forays in the market have been baffling, considering the relentless transfer business has not yielded success on the pitch. The BlueCo era has seen a few runs to the finals of cup competitions but failed to deliver a trophy.
While Chelsea showed some promise under the tutelage of Mauricio Pochettino last season, they were back to the drawing board this summer after sacking the Argentine and replacing him with Enzo Maresca. Meanwhile, the West London club’s forays into the market meant several players were on the chopping block.
So, two dozen players have left the club to ease the pressure on a bloated squad. However, the Blues were deplorable in their conduct with their players, banishing many, including academy graduates, from the first-team picture until they sealed their departures from Stamford Bridge.
Many fans did not appreciate how they treated academy graduates like Conor Gallagher and Trevoh Chalobah, who served the first-team squad well in recent seasons. Raheem Sterling, Ben Chilwell, and a few others also had the short end of the stick.
Ins and outs
Most of the news cycle during the summer transfer window had speculation surrounding Chelsea, more so regarding outgoing business. As iterated earlier, two dozen players left the West London club in the summer transfer window, with Raheem Sterling and Armando Broja the last players out the exit door.
Meanwhile, Chelsea sold seven players, with Ian Maatsen and Lewis Hall the first departures. The duo did not have a future with the first team, with the latter already having an obligation clause in his loan to Newcastle United. Conor Gallagher, Romelu Lukaku, Diego Moreira, Angelo Gabriel, and Omari Hutchinson were the others in the category, with the latter trio not playing a single game for the club.
Several players left Chelsea on free transfers, including Hakim Ziyech, Thiago Silva, and Malang Sarr. The high-profile loan departures were Raheem Sterling, Trevoh Chalobah, and Kepa Arrizabalaga.
Outs: Ian Maatsen, Lewis Hall, Conor Gallagher, Omari Hutchinson, Angelo Gabriel, Diego Moreira, Romelu Lukaku
Free Transfers Out: Thiago Silva, Malang Sarr, Tino Anjorin, Hakim Ziyech
Loaned Out: Djordje Petrovic, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Gabriel Slonina, Mike Penders, Eddie Beach, Trevoh Chalobah, Aaron Anselmino, Bashir Humphreys, Alfie Gilchrist, Caleb Wiley, Lesley Ugochukwu, Raheem Sterling, Armando Broja
Chelsea’s incoming business paled in comparison to the departures. But that does not mean the Blues were inactive in the market. As iterated earlier, the West London club signed nearly a dozen players in the summer transfer window, with Jadon Sancho the last one through the door.
The Blues began their summer transfer business by signing Tosin Adarabioyo in a Bosman move after his Fulham contract ran out. Apart from Sancho and Adarabioyo, the other nine signings cost Chelsea a transfer fee, with Filip Jorgensen, Mike Penders, Aaron Anselmino, Caleb Wiley, Renato Veiga, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, and Marc Guiu joining them.
Guiu and Anselmino are two players that fit the long-term vision of the West London club, with other highly-rated prodigies like Kendry Paez and Estevao Willian, whose deal they agreed this summer, also expected to have a bright future at Stamford Bridge.
Ins: Filip Jorgensen, Mike Penders, Aaron Anselmino, Caleb Wiley, Renato Veiga, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Marc Guiu
Free Transfer In: Tosin Adarabioyo
Loaned In: Jadon Sancho
Marquee Signing
Joao Felix
No summer signing, in particular, stands out at Chelsea, even though the Blues have coughed up eye-watering sums in the summer transfer window. Jadon Sancho, Joao Felix, and Pedro Neto offer similar values, considering their recent form. However, Felix takes the cake in this section, considering his stature.
The Portuguese international was among the most highly-rated young prospects in the world when Atletico Madrid broke the bank to sign him from SL Benfica half a decade ago. However, he did not live up to the hype at the Spanish club, although Diego Simeone’s tactics also played a part in his inconsistent performances.
Felix did not set the stage alight during his season-long loan spell with Barcelona either, managing only ten goals and six assists in 44 appearances for the Blaugrana. So, it is not surprising that the 24-year-old has not surprised many Chelsea fans, although he will hope to prove his naysayers wrong this season.
Value for Money Signing
Pedro Neto
Similar to the previous section, no summer signing stands out as a value-for-money arrival at Chelsea, even though Tosin Adarabioyo has joined the West London club in a Bosman move and Jadon Sancho has completed a loan switch. However, Adarabioyo is a backup option in the Premier League, while Sancho will likely complete a permanent transfer next year.
So, with the jury still out on Sancho, Pedro Neto is our pick for this section. Enzo Maresca has eased the Portuguese international into the thick of the action. However, he has shown his chops in his limited exposure, providing one assist in 135 minutes of Premier League action.
While Neto is not prolific in front of the goal, he has the creative ability to transform the Chelsea attack and force a better output from Nicolas Jackson. With Chelsea not signing a striker apart from Marc Guiu, Neto’s creative outlet should benefit Jackson, with Cole Palmer also in good stead.
Inevitable Departure
Romelu Lukaku
Many players fit into this section, considering Enzo Maresca banished Trevoh Chalobah, Conor Gallagher, Raheem Sterling, and Armando Broja, among others, from the first-team picture. However, we have picked the player who never trained with Chelsea before sealing his much-desired summer exit. We are talking about Romelu Lukaku.
The Belgian international was not a happy camper in his second spell with Chelsea, feeling ‘homesick’ for Italy a few months after arriving from Inter Milan. Since then, he has spent two seasons on loan with Serie A clubs and pushed to move to Napoli after Antonio Conte became the manager of the Partenopei.
The move finally happened a day before the deadline day, and Lukaku will hope to put his Chelsea nightmares in the rearview mirror as he looks to resurrect his career. Meanwhile, Chelsea finally got the experienced striker’s wages off the books while recouping a decent transfer fee from his departure.
The Big Miss
Victor Osimhen
It is preposterous that Chelsea could not solve a long-standing issue in the first-team squad despite signing nearly a dozen players in the summer transfer window. While Nicolas Jackson has been hot off the blocks in the 2024/25 season, the West London club needed a clinical striker.
Victor Osimhen was Chelsea’s top striker target for the summer transfer window. However, the West London club could not find a common ground with Napoli regarding a transfer fee. While the Blues were ready to advance their move for the Nigerian international in the dying embers of the summer transfer window, a deal did not see the light of day.
Meanwhile, the 25-year-old was once close to moving to the Saudi Pro League but has remained in Europe by joining Galatasaray on loan from Napoli. As for Chelsea, they have only Jackson and Marc Guiu as the striker options for the 2024/25 season.
Verdict – 4/10
It might be strange to read our verdict of Chelsea’s performance in the summer transfer window. While the Blues have lightened a bloated squad and removed fringe players like Trevoh Chalobah and Raheem Sterling, among others, a few remain in West London.
Ben Chilwell, David Datro Fofana, and Carney Chukwuemeka are still at the West London club, even though they will not get a single minute of game time this term. While the trio and other unwanted players can still join clubs where the summer transfer window remains open, the Blues have been inefficient in getting rid of them.
Meanwhile, despite signing nearly a dozen players this summer, some troublesome positions remain unaddressed. The Chelsea squad does not have a prolific and clinical striker. In addition, their midfield does not produce a truckload of chances, depending heavily on attackers like Pedro Neto and Cole Palmer. So, yet another transfer window that promised much has ended on a whimper for Chelsea.
