Chelsea Proves Money Can't Buy Wins
Co-owner and chairman of Chelsea, Todd Boehly, has managed the signing of 14 players since taking control ahead of the Summer 2022 transfer window. Boehly has spent over £300 million on the team, with Atletico Madrid loanee Joao Felix being the most recent addition. Chelsea has signed five youngsters and three more players ages 20-22, bringing in some of Europe's finest young talent. The team has also brought in more experienced players like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling. Their approach has been widely criticized by many fans. Nonetheless, they managed to make their team worse, quite an accomplishment for the club's new owners.
When Graham Potter arrived from Brighton in September as the replacement for the departed Thomas Tuchel, the Chelsea management, backed by co-owner Boehly, sold him on their idea of a new Chelsea. It was a club that would prepare for the long run, adopt a more collegiate approach, and give the bright young coach time to imprint his tactics on the players.
The old Chelsea of Roman Abramovich appeared to be a thing of the past. Chelsea’s recruiting, after the shift of ownership, left a naive impression. Potter's work is becoming increasingly difficult as a result of his naiveté. The 47-year-old is having difficulty rising to the occasion as manager of such a large club. It’s evident that he needs help executing his goals for the team. On paper it makes sense that signing good players would make a better team. Regardless, it’s a lesson Potter should have learned this season.
Since taking over the club in the summer, Boehly has personally managed Chelsea's player recruitment and manager change. The club's most enthusiastic supporters would have a hard time arguing that the team is in a better situation after his six months in charge. In the short term, Potter is still dealing with the hand Boehly dealt him; an unbalanced squad that is overloaded with defenders and desperately short of goal scorers. However, the recent hiring of technical director Christopher Vivell should bring expertise to the football department. Although many of the players fell short of expectations, it is questionable if Potter would have signed them in the first place.
Potter had nothing to do with the club's summer free agency losses of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen to Real Madrid and Barcelona. Boehly was unable to stop the defenders from leaving the team, but the new owner approved the loan departure of Romelu Lukaku for $97.5 million to Inter Milan and the permanent return of Timo Werner to RB Leipzig for $25 million. Chelsea was without a reliable goal scorer, and it was a last-minute decision to acquire 33-year-old Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona for £10 million at the conclusion of the summer transfer window.
After beginning his tenure with a £47.5 million acquisition of Raheem Sterling from Manchester City, Boehly also oversaw the $171 million expenditure on defenders Kalidou Koulibaly for £33 million, Marc Cucurella for £63 million, and Wesley Fofana for £75 million.
The team is now trying to recruit RB Leipzig's Christopher Nkunku up front and Josko Gvardiol on the defense line, but insiders claim Chelsea has already reached a £32 million deal to acquire Monaco's Benoit Badiashile, a 21-year-old center back. In addition, they are willing to activate Enzo Fernandez's, 21-year-old midfielder from Argentina who started at the World Cup, £106 million release clause at Benfica.
Football is rife with teams and owners who believe that quickly releasing money will lead to success, but those that succeed are typically those who gain value through clever additions rather than expensive ones. If Chelsea doesn't take that lesson to heart, Potter will inevitably suffer the price.