Chelsea’s mass player signings; A case of quantity over quality?

On February 3, 2023, 9:29 AM

English Premiership side Chelsea was in the news last May when a consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly bought the club from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Almost nobody in football had heard of the Russian before he acquired Chelsea in 2003, but he became the most successful and controversial Premier League owner of the last two decades before the U.K. government forced him to sell the club because of his links with Russia president Vladimir Putin.

The sale of the club was worth up to £4.25 billion and the official announcement in May last year saw Roman Abramovich’s 19-year tenure come to an end.

Chelsea’s sale might have saved the club from restrictions relating to sanctions imposed on their former owner for alleged ties to Russia president Vladimir Putin, however, the woes of the club seem not to go away this season despite the new owners spending over £500 million on transfers alone, whilst factoring in bonus clauses in their contracts.

In fact, Boehly and co. have made 18 new signings, enough to fulfil a complete starting XI and still have some to warm the bench but the team, unfortunately, hasn’t found its rhythm as it lies 10^th in the league and could be missing out on European football next season.

The much-talked-about “scattergun” approach, as Gary Neville referred to the transfer policy, covers every position across the pitch, with players continuously linked with a move to Stamford Bridge.

Many of those signings have cost a considerable financial outlay, though, leading to questions about how Chelsea is complying with the regulations of Financial Fair Play. The way they structure their deals allows the club to work within the FFP framework, with large contracts allowing for sums to be paid across a number of years.

The club after spending this much doesn’t look like slowing down anytime soon as Christopher Nkunku has also already agreed to join the club next summer, with his £53 million transfer fee not even included on this list.