Ian Wright, the former Arsenal striker, has identified three key areas where Chelsea need to improve if they are to compete for major honours in the future. The Blues have spent over £600m on players since the summer transfer window and have just agreed a £20m deal to sign Kendry Paez. However, despite their huge spending, Chelsea are currently languishing in 11th place in the Premier League having won just three top-flight games in 2023. They are also looking for their third manager of the season after sacking Graham Potter on Sunday.
Wright believes that Chelsea need to strengthen their squad in three key areas: goalkeeper, defensive midfield and centre forward. He told The Kelly & Wrighty Show: “They’ve spent [over] half a billion pounds and they still for me need a goalkeeper if I’m being totally honest. They still need a No.6 and they need a focal point centre forward. They’re nowhere near that. Since the (Roman) Abramovich era it feels like they’ve spent that money and they’re still nowhere.”
Chelsea have already made two big-money signings in the January transfer window, breaking the British transfer record to sign Argentina’s World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez for £106.8m and bringing in Ukraine international Mykhailo Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk for £88.5m. However, these signings have put the club under huge Financial Fair Play pressure.
Alan Shearer has criticised Chelsea’s transfer policy, calling it “stupid”. Speaking on Match of the Day 2, he said: “Who on earth goes to a football club, pays over £20m for the manager and his staff, puts him on a five or six-year contract, on £10m-a-year, gives them a ridiculous amount of players with a stupid amount of money that’s been spent… and sacks him seven months later? It could only happen in football… Anyone with a football brain will tell you that signing that amount of players is not going to work.”
Chelsea are now looking for a new manager, with Mauricio Pochettino, Julian Nagelsmann and Luis Enrique all linked with the job. The club’s owners are said to have one big concern over Nagelsmann, who is currently in charge of RB Leipzig. They fear that he may not be able to handle the pressure of managing a club the size of Chelsea.
Despite their recent struggles, Chelsea remain one of the biggest clubs in world football and have a proud history of success. They have won five Premier League titles, eight FA Cups, two UEFA Europa Leagues and one UEFA Champions League. However, they have not won a major trophy since 2019 and their fans will be hoping that the club can turn things around soon. With the right signings and the right manager, there is no reason why Chelsea cannot once again become a force to be reckoned with in English and European football.