Chelsea Transfers

[Vesper 30,224]

Chelsea lack firepower – there is still time to turn to the transfer market again

https://theathletic.com/4790962/2023/08/21/Chelsea-transfer-west-ham-pochettino/

With seven minutes remaining of Chelsea’s second Premier League game of the season, head coach Mauricio Pochettino sent on academy striker Mason Burstow to try to save his side a point at West Ham. It did not work.

This is not a damning indictment on Burstow himself. The teenager, signed from Charlton Athletic in January last year, has made good progress at under-21 level and scored a late equaliser for the senior side in a pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund.

You might wonder, though, if this was Pochettino’s way of sending a message to the hierarchy that he needs more firepower to get better results. It is certainly a rather remarkable position for Chelsea to find themselves in after spending hundreds of millions in the market since the Todd Boehly-Clearlake consortium took over 15 months ago.

Chelsea have not had much fortune. One of their most important attacking signings, Christopher Nkunku, has effectively been ruled out for the rest of the year with a knee injury sustained in that match against Borussia Dortmund.

Carney Chukwuemeka, who impressed in the first half at West Ham in the No 10 role and scored his first goal for the club to make it 1-1, went off before the break after suffering what looked like a serious knee problem of his own.

Chelsea should have had the three points secured by then. Enzo Fernandez had a penalty saved and other chances were wasted. We are not just talking about shots at goal here, but final passes or crosses which were not executed well enough.

Anyone watching will have just thought ‘same old Chelsea’ in many ways. The basic statistics made grim reading: Chelsea outshot their opponents 17-12 and enjoyed 76 per cent of the possession. The scoreline is the most important metric of all though and it showed 3-1 to the home side when referee John Brooks blew the final whistle.

Raheem Sterling summed up the frustration in the Chelsea dressing room afterwards, telling Sky Sports: “Dominating a game at a ground like West Ham’s, you have got to take your chances. This is the Premier League and it will come back to haunt you.”

Chelsea’s failure to capitalise when they are on top in games has been a problem for some time and particularly last season. They set a club-record low of 38 goals from 38 Premier League matches in 2022-23, but a lack of efficiency in front of goal has persisted for longer than that. Diego Costa remains the last Chelsea player to score 20 goals in a Premier League season and that was when they last won the title in 2016-17.

Asked if he had noticed a lack of self-belief in front of goal from his players since starting the job in July, Pochettino said: “No. I don’t believe this. This is a new team with new players. The players are not feeling what happened in the last few years. It is about… to believe, to perform. A player like Nicolas Jackson for sure is going to score because he has amazing quality. I do not believe what happened has happened because of last season.”

There was a second part to the question which raised the idea of turning to the transfer market again to sign another forward. Whether he did not hear, forgot or just chose not to answer, Pochettino did not clarify that situation.

It feels like a broken record to suggest Chelsea have struggled to replace Costa, who left for Atletico Madrid six years ago. As Pochettino rightly highlighted, Jackson provides cause for optimism. The Senegal international has shown a lot of promise and quality since joining from Villarreal for just over €35million (£30m; $38.1m) in July. Yet for a second successive Sunday, he gave opposition defenders a difficult time but ended the fixture without a goal to show for it.

The TV cameras picked out co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, sitting behind co-owner Behdad Eghbali, looking particularly glum in the second half. West Ham played nearly 30 minutes, including stoppage time, with 10 men after Nayef Aguerd was shown a second yellow card, but Chelsea ran out of ideas and incredibly posed less of a threat.

With the transfer window closing on September 1, there is still time for the chequebook to be used again. Chelsea have been looking at signing another attacking player anyway, but not a tried and tested No 9 as such. A move for Crystal Palace’s Michael Olise broke down last week, while Nottingham Forest’s Brennan Johnson was put on the wish list last month.

Those outside Chelsea will question why Pochettino does not reconsider making Romelu Lukaku part of his plans. The club’s highest earner, on £340,000-a-week, bought from Inter Milan for a then-club record £97.5million in 2021, is currently training at Cobham as attempts are made to find him a move elsewhere.

The options, and time to do just that, are running out. But Pochettino made it clear on the eve of the West Ham game that the Belgium international is not in his or the club’s thinking and the forward also has no interest in playing for Chelsea. Anyone who saw Lukaku play for Chelsea in 2021-22 will not think he is the answer to their problems, anyway.

Pochettino has declared that qualifying for the Champions League this season is the minimum requirement. A lack of a prolific centre-forward is a relatively new experience for him, having worked with two of the best very best forwards at previous clubs in Harry Kane and Kylian Mbappe.

The former Tottenham and Paris Saint-Germain coach will get back to work on the training ground this week, but until he finds a solution to Chelsea’s struggles in front of goal, it will continue to hinder his and the club’s ambitions.

Edited August 22, 2023 by Vesper

[Vesper 30,224]

35 minutes ago, TheHulk said:

I don't understand we could've got Wahi if we wanted some unpolished diamond.

I mean the guy had 18 non penalty goals in 33 matches and is 20 years old, cost 30m.

Balogun 15 non penalty goals in 37 matches and already 22 years old, cost north 50m.

the sex pest rumours (or perhaps some reality) may have played some role

The UK is (rightly so) a woodchipper for that type of shite

[Vesper 30,224]

48 minutes ago, TheHulk said:

Have you seen his xG? He misses a lot. If I'm forced to get one of Johnson and Balogun, I'd take Johnson honestly.

we may end up with both, lolol

[Pizy 18,953]

Whoever it is we choose it would benefit us greatly to have him in during this “easy” run of fixtures. Get them accustomed to their teammates and maybe get in the score sheet.

[ZAPHOD2319 4,819]

 

[Pizy 18,953]

So not Doku, most likely not Johnson, Wahi is gone, the Cherki rumors haven’t been revived since about a month ago, and the Barcola rumors kinda came and went after a day since PSG are after him.

Sounds more and more likely that we’re going to end up with Balogun. Someone who doesn’t walk into our team, someone who can’t play with Jackson, and someone we’ll end up paying Arse WAY too much money for. Oh, and he’s not really that good. 😔😔😔

Hope there’s a mystery target out there we haven’t heard about.

[Vesper 30,224]

need to go

(I have had a large change of heart and removed Sterling, he looked fantastic in the last game, and I think will carry one, or at least I hope does, he CAN (not will for sure) be a huge weapon

Lukaku

Cucurella 

Conor Gallagher

Trevoh Chalobah

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Malang Sarr

Kepa (next season)

And potentially, If Broja doesn't do much, well buh-bye

[robsblubot 3,595]

29 minutes ago, Vesper said:

need to go

(I have had a large change of heart and removed Sterling, he looked fantastic in the last game, and I think will carry one, or at least I hope does, he CAN (not will for sure) be a huge weapon

Lukaku

Cucurella 

Conor Gallagher

Trevoh Chalobah

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Malang Sarr

Kepa (next season)

And potentially, If Broja doesn't do much, well buh-bye

agreed. Disappointing with Broja injury issues. Always nervous about 20yo and injuries tbh.

still wish Cucurella can become useful in the right system; I don't what that system ought to be tho.
Maybe he can cover as a mobile CB in the 3-cb system as he has done last season, or a defensive LB if we even go back to 4 at the back.

🤷‍♂️
 

Edited August 22, 2023 by robsblubot

[Pizy 18,953]

12 minutes ago, Vesper said:

need to go

(I have had a large change of heart and removed Sterling, he looked fantastic in the last game, and I think will carry one, or at least I hope does, he CAN (not will for sure) be a huge weapon

Lukaku

Cucurella 

Conor Gallagher

Trevoh Chalobah

Callum Hudson-Odoi

Malang Sarr

Kepa (next season)

And potentially, If Broja doesn't do much, well buh-bye

Really doesn’t look like Gallagher will go anymore. Poch seems to love him.

[Tomo 21,751]

1 hour ago, Pizy said:

You could be right but I sort of recall it differently. I could’ve sworn it was very much like Colwill for Saliba in that he was very reluctant to come back unless he was ensured that he was going to play and even said so publicly. 

He wasn't given a shirt number for a large part of the summer, Arteta was planning on doing exactly the same to him as he did to Auba, Guendouzi, Pepe etc. That was on top of loaning him out the year before and spending £50m on White instead of integrating him.

Him literally taking no for an answer is the only reason Arsenal haven't got their own KDB situation right now.

[Tomo 21,751]

1 hour ago, robsblubot said:

I disagree. You are comparing current/recent form vs "ever form." One of them one day in a blue delivered really good performances esp in a season which got him the #10 jersey. Then he was decent as a sub in the CL win contributing in the single elimination games in a different season. Yes, then he turned into shit likely helped by his frail body.

The other 2 have done jack shit for Chelsea tho -- they play at a level way way below what should be our standards. I'd say that right Mudryk is slightly better than Madueke, but I have more hope that Madueke turns out to be employable eventually. Needs to bulk up and improve.

For me outside of the restart period his good performances were as scattered and a few and far between as Torres', admittedly one of the outliers were a UCL semi but he quickly reverted to type in the final and could have cost us.

The much maligned Hudson Odoi's form in the Autumn of 2021 (in terms of medium term form) is above anything Pulisic ever done for us with fans in the stadium.

[robsblubot 3,595]

2 minutes ago, Tomo said:

For me outside of the restart period his good performances were as scattered and a few and far between as Torres', admittedly one of the outliers were a UCL semi but he quickly reverted to type in the final and could have cost us.

The much maligned Hudson Odoi's form in the Autumn of 2021 (in terms of medium term form) is above anything Pulisic ever done for us with fans in the stadium.

I don't dispute that as a fact. My disagreement is when you compare that with what Mudryk and Madueke have delivered, or are capable of delivering.

[NikkiCFC 8,336]

1 hour ago, Gundalf said:

Ya Goncalves would be my favorite option as well....but....portuguese club....they would probably ask for 80m.

Sporting is reasonable with sales. 

Some had clauses but record sales so far:

Bruno 65m euros. 

Ugarte 60m 

Nunes 45m 

Mario 45m

Porro 40m

Nuno Mendes 38m.

[Tomo 21,751]

8 minutes ago, Tomo said:

He wasn't given a shirt number for a large part of the summer, Arteta was planning on doing exactly the same to him as he did to Auba, Guendouzi, Pepe etc. That was on top of loaning him out the year before and spending £50m on White instead of integrating him.

Him literally taking no for an answer is the only reason Arsenal haven't got their own KDB situation right now.

@Pizyjust to further clarify I'm not too keen on the Balogun signing either (mainly because of the glut of young forwards we already have) just that's it's a bit harsh to have him being sold by Arsenal displayed as a red flag.

Artetas talent ID isn't what it's cracked up to be.

[Vesper 30,224]

17 minutes ago, NikkiCFC said:

Ugarte 60m 

Nuno Mendes 38m

😞

[Vesper 30,224]

31 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Really doesn’t look like Gallagher will go anymore. Poch seems to love him.

he lacks something you cannot teach

innate footbaling IQ

if he had even early mid career on (say 2001 or so and onward) Lampard footie IQ (hell even 70% of that, especially 2003/04 and on Lamps) he would be a beast

[Pizy 18,953]

4 minutes ago, Vesper said:

he lacks something you cannot teach

innate footbaling IQ

if he had even early mid career on (say 2001 or so and onward) Lampard footie IQ (hell even 70% of that, especially 2003/04 and on Lamps) he would be a beast

I’d sell him. I think if it was purely a board decision they’d sell him. But if Poch has the final say I think stays.

[ulvhedin 526]

1 hour ago, Vesper said:

he lacks something you cannot teach

innate footbaling IQ

if he had even early mid career on (say 2001 or so and onward) Lampard footie IQ (hell even 70% of that, especially 2003/04 and on Lamps) he would be a beast

You are overthinking this, he simply lacks technique - cant withstand pressing, cant pick up passes

[Gundalf 806]

 

[milka 3,393]