With the 2023 summer market closed for another 3 weeks, Chelsea can completely reach the £1 billion spending milestone under Todd Boehly. There is a joking saying that the way to make a small amount of money in football is to start with a large amount of money. Boehly may be apelling that.
If billionaires today tend to buy big clubs back, they will rarely "burn" a billion pounds quickly. Surprisingly, Boehly and his colleagues could reach that number in just 15 months.
The arrival of Moises Caicedo has seen the Blues' spending surpass the £900 million mark. And if the Romeo Lavia deal is completed, that figure will reach £1 billion.
Avoiding defeat at Stamford Bridge on the opening day of the Premier League against Liverpool was a step in the right direction for Mauricio Pochettino. 3 out of 11 players are product of the academy, the fourth is Thiago Silva coming on a free transfer. Meanwhile, the fifth Man, Ben Chilwell, was bought while Roman Abramovich still owns the club.
This means Chelsea have spent huge sums of money on many players who are not members of the team.
But Pochettino's job is to accept that and help Chelsea move forward. The Argentine strategist set foot in Stamford Bridge with chaos in Boehly's first year.
And a cleanup began as the Blues sent 12 players off this summer. That number could rise in the next few weeks.
"We're not talking about the past. We want to talk about the present and the future. But the past is necessary to understand the difficult situation of the club," said Pochettino.
And there is an illogical problem at Chelsea. The Blues once had the most expensive goalkeeper in the world and the best goalkeepers in the world in 2021, Kepa Arrizabalaga and Edouard Mendy. But now, with both leaving, Chelsea have put their faith in Robert Sanchez, who was Brighton's second choice in goal last season.
Since the Caicedo deal, Brighton's players have always had a special attraction for Chelsea. Marc Cucurella arrived in a £62 million deal last summer, and is only the fourth choice for the left-back role at the moment.
Pochettino introduced Chelsea fans to a theoretically 3-5-2 formation. That shows the confidence and boldness of the Argentine strategist. However, before that, Graham Potter and Frank Lampard were not lacking in ideas. The problem is they are confused by the large number of players and cannot find consistency.
Pochettino's team showed their mettle to regain 1 point from Liverpool. Especially in the second half when The Blues showed their fast play, something they did not have last season.
However, Chelsea's player procurement has not been completed. "We need good players and improve the squad," Pochettino said. Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp responded bitterly - "That's what Chelsea coaches want and they often get there".
Surprisingly, when the Blues have spent such a large amount of money, they still lack personnel in midfield and goal.
The question is, are Chelsea immersed in a squad overhaul without knowing where to stop? "It will be helpful when the transfer window closes," Pochettino said. Currently, Chelsea should focus on building a team instead of going crazy about shopping.
But by the end of this summer's transfer window, Chelsea's spending could reach £1 billion. And while Pochettino is a significant upgrade from his predecessors, the coaching staff is still a big question mark.
