The Downfall Of The Blues
Chelsea made a big statement in the January transfer market. Todd Boehly's Blues spent 329.5 million euros on Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, Datro Fofana, and Joao Felix, increasing their total expenditure to 611.5 million euros for the season!
Two record-breaking transfer windows have done little to enhance the team's results under Graham Potter.
"The players are fighting for the sake of the squad. They desire to do better and are suffering as a result. My role is to assist them. They want better results, and we are in a very tough situation "Potter explained this during his post-game news conference.
The English coach, who took over for Thomas Tuchel in September, has failed to improve a situation that has worsened. Before being fired, the German won 43 percent of the games he managed this season, while Potter won only 35 percent.
Potter is under fire but stays in charge due to Boehly's unwavering support for the first coach he recruited as Chelsea's owner.
The American has trust in a manager for whom he spent Brighton 20 million euros and who, according to the Telegraph, would cost 55 million euros to fire given his contract expiration in 2027.
One Win in 11 Games in 2023
Chelsea's 2023 season has been a disaster. In all competitions, the team had only one win in 11 games. They had three straight defeats and six games without a win in the Premier League, taking only seven of a possible 27 points.
They are tenth and closer to relegation than to the Champions League positions, despite having a game in hand on fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
Chelsea had fewer points than they have now only in 1993-94 under Glenn Hoddle (24 points) and 2015-16 under Mourinho (29 points).
They finished fourteenth and tenth in both seasons, missing out on European qualifying.
The threat looms over a club that had 47 points a year ago and finished third under Tuchel.
Failure to qualify for the Champions League may be a big setback for a mega-project that has already been knocked out of the Carabao Cup and the FA Cup in the round of 32.
"With the amount of money they've spent, it's unfathomable for a team as big as Chelsea to be 10th, out of the Cup, and 1-0 down heading into the second leg of the Champions League last 16," former England star Paul Robinson told the BBC.
"For a club like Chelsea, two defeats in a row is a disaster. The new owners want to continue differently and complete their project, and Potter is their man who will be given as much time as possible. Yet, the pressure is rising since he is not producing results "Sky Sports' Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink confirmed this.
Chelsea’s Transition After The Roman Abramovich Era
The Russian businessman Roman Abramovich was sanctioned by the UK authorities owing to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and all of Chelsea's accounts were seized late in the 2021-22 season. Todd Boehly's ownership took over the club in May of this year, but it was not a simple transition. The backstage tension reached unprecedented heights as various reports suggested that the owner and manager, Thomas Tuchel, disagreed on key signings. It is worth noting that Tuchel was fired by the club following a terrible start to the current season.
Chelsea’s Inability To Lay Down a Long-Term Plan
Although Chelsea achieved new heights during Abramovich's ownership, the team made some disastrous mistakes. The club fired managers following a string of bad performances, even when the manager was financially supported during the transfer window. Throughout the last 20 years, Chelsea has had 17 different managers.
Injury Woes For Chelsea In 2022-23 Season
After Tuchel's surprise departure, the club was turned over to former Brighton manager Graham Potter. Unfortunately, the new manager's season has been plagued by injuries. Potter has been unlucky to be without key players like Ben Chilwell, Reece Hames, Wesley Fofana, N'Golo Kante, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek due to injury.
Chelsea’s Transfer Policy
Chelsea has failed to produce satisfactory results this season, despite spending a record £278.4 million on eight new players. This was the most money spent by any team in a single transfer window. The fee has risen to £340 million as a result of the January signings of defender Benoit Badiashile, midfielder Andrey Santos, and forward David Datro Fofana.
Chelsea is not working, and the new arrivals have not added anything to a club that is weak at the back while having the biggest problems up forward.
The absence of a dependable center-forward is a serious issue that none of Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Joao Felix, Datro Fofana, or Kai Havertz have addressed.
By Apoeso Abiodun.