Having spent north of £300million, more than five times as much as any other Premier League club, Chelsea better hope they are winners. Todd Boehly’s assault on the transfer market demands scrutiny but what’s certain is that their squad is considerably stronger for it.
A British-record £106.8million deal for Enzo Fernandez, following a protracted transfer saga, capped another extraordinary window for the Blues, the Argentine being one of eight new faces.
The spending splurge takes their outlay for the season past £600million and leaves head coach Graham Potter with selection headaches all over the pitch, but there is plenty for supporters to get excited about as Chelsea prepare for the second half of the campaign.
Mykhailo Mudryk, an £88.5million signing from Shakhtar Donetsk, was electrifying on his debut against Liverpool, while Joao Felix’s performance against Fulham – before the sending off that marred it – showed he could have a transformative impact too. Noni Madueke will hope to showcase his huge talent, his £29m arrival from PSV Eindhoven equipping Chelsea with an entirely new front three, while Benoit Badiashile has already slotted into the defence and big things are expected for Andrey Santos, Malo Gusto and David Datro Fofana.
The financials are mind-boggling. The lengthy contracts too. But the overriding feeling among fans is one of excitement and understandably so.
Gaming, Gambling Addiction, A Growing Societal Burden Needing Urgent Attention