Alan Smith slams Chelsea’s ‘haphazard’ transfer approach and claims they signed Mykhailo Mudryk to ‘pinch’ him from Arsenal

Former Arsenal striker Alan Smith has slammed Chelsea’s ‘haphazard’ approach in the transfer market and claims they only signed Mykhailo Mudryk to ‘pinch’ him from London rivals Arsenal.

Chelsea have spent more than £600m on signings over the past 12 months but that is yet to result in success on the pitch, with the Blues finishing in the bottom-half of the Premier League last season.

Ex-Arsenal striker Smith has struggled to see ‘any method’ to Chelsea’s transfer business and says the signing of Mudryk epitomises their ‘scattergun approach’.

Mykhailo Mudryk’s Big-Money Move to Chelsea

The Ukraine forward was expected to join Arsenal in January but Chelsea hijacked the deal, paying Shakhtar Donetsk almost £90m to bring him to Stamford Bridge.

Mudryk became one of the most expensive Premier League signings in history but the 22-year-old struggled last season and is yet to score for Chelsea in 17 appearances.

‘It’s been such a haphazard approach to signing players, it’s been really scattergun,’ Smith told Gambling Zone. ‘I don’t think there was any method to their business last season.

‘The signing of Mudryk is a great example of that. Arsenal was interested and they thought they’d pinch him off their London rivals.’

Mauricio Pochettino’s Tough Job at Chelsea

Smith also warned Pochettino he faces a ‘really tough job’ at Stamford Bridge after agreeing to become Chelsea’s sixth permanent manager in five years.

‘This is a really tough job for Pochettino,’ Smith added. ‘It would have been tough for him at PSG because of the characters he was working with there.

‘At PSG he had massive stars with big egos who are always difficult to manage, whereas at Tottenham, he had players that worked their socks off for him.

‘He must bring discipline back into the football club in terms of how the players train. In many ways, the club needs to go back to basics to get those standards back.’

Chelsea’s 2023-24 Season

Chelsea, who finished just 12th last season, kick-start their 2023-24 campaign against Liverpool on August 13.

Conclusion

Alan Smith has slammed Chelsea’s ‘haphazard’ approach in the transfer market and claims they only signed Mykhailo Mudryk to ‘pinch’ him from London rivals Arsenal. Smith also warned Mauricio Pochettino he faces a ‘really tough job’ at Stamford Bridge after agreeing to become Chelsea’s sixth permanent manager in five years. It remains to be seen how successful Pochettino will be at Chelsea and whether or not their transfer strategy will pay off. For more stories like this, check our sport page. Follow Metro Sport for the latest news on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.