It’s hard to believe that Chelsea have gone seven years without claiming a Premier League title after such promise shown by former boss Antonio Conte. The Blues last claimed a league triumph back in the 2016/17 season, winning the title by seven points from London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, losing just five games all campaign. Players such as Eden Hazard, Diego Costa, and Cesc Fàbregas all played an integral role in the first-team squad, with the Spanish striker notching 20 goals and ending the year as the club’s top scorer.
Whilst the campaign was undoubtedly a roaring success for the Italian during his first season at Stamford Bridge, he would dip into the transfer market during the summer looking to build on his debut year at the helm. However, it’s safe to say the new additions had varying levels of success during their respective periods with the Blues in West London.
Chelsea’s transfer window in the summer of 2017 was one that generated plenty of excitement, with the Blues splashing the cash after the departure of players such as Costa, Nemanja Matic, and Nathan Ake, spending just shy of £200m on new talent in one window. The most expensive addition was that of striker Álvaro Morata, arriving at Stamford Bridge in a £58m deal from Real Madrid, but his move was nothing short of a disaster. The Spain international bagged 24 goals during his two-year stint in England, before returning back to his homeland to join Atlético Madrid after a successful loan spell during the last six months of his Chelsea nightmare.
Tiemoue Bakayoko was another big-money signing, costing £40m, but he failed to make an impact, and the French midfielder’s time at the club was short-lived, with the Blues opting to loan him out to Monaco, before eventually selling him to AC Milan for a significant loss. On the other hand, Danny Drinkwater was a more expensive signing, costing £48m, but he too failed to make an impact, with the midfielder only making a handful of appearances for the Blues. In fact, when combining Drinkwater’s earnings during his time with the Blues with his huge transfer fee, he cost a staggering £2.1m per appearance in Chelsea colours, making him one of the most expensive flops in the club’s history.
The decision to greenlight the transfer was understandable at the time, given his involvement in Leicester’s famous success, but it’s safe to say the move was a disaster. Given the sizeable figure forked out by the hierarchy, coupled with his lack of impact on the pitch, the deal will certainly go down as one of the worst in the club’s history.
Looking to the present, Noni Madueke is Chelsea’s new star, earning £50k-per-week, and performing impressively under current boss Enzo Maresca. However, despite his excellent form, the winger’s earnings are just a fraction of the funds spent on Drinkwater, highlighting the staggering waste of resources under the previous regime. As Chelsea look to make amends for their forgettable transfer dealings, it’s clear that a cleanup of their dysfunctional recruitment policy is long overdue.
