Chris Sutton: Ex-Chelsea striker says club are in 'complete disarray' over transfers

1 year ago 56

Chelsea are successful "complete disarray" with their transportation strategy, says erstwhile Blues striker Chris Sutton.

The nine made their 4th signing of the January model with the indebtedness arrival of Joao Felix connected Wednesday.

"They are making it up arsenic they spell along," Sutton told BBC Radio 5 Live. "They person done each season."

Chelsea person spent astir £350m connected signings since a consortium led by American businessman Todd Boehly took power of the nine successful May past year.

Despite that outlay, they are 10th successful the Premier League and retired of some the FA Cup and Carabao Cup. They person won lone 2 of their past 9 matches, and fans person chanted for erstwhile manager Thomas Tuchel and ex-owner Roman Abramovich.

Here BBC Sport looks astatine what is going incorrect astatine Stamford Bridge.

What's the background?

Chelsea's play has been divided betwixt 2 managers with Graham Potter taking implicit from Tuchel, who was sacked successful aboriginal September erstwhile the nine were sixth.

Chelsea (all competitions)	Thomas Tuchel	Graham Potter
Games played	100	18
Win percentage	60%	44%
Goals per game	1.68	1.22
Shots per game	15.2	11.8
Shot conversion complaint (including blocks)	11.1%	10.3%
Possession	61.4%	57.4%
Goals conceded per game	0.77	1.06
Shots conceded per game	8.9	10.8
Clean expanse percentage	49%	33%

Potter began his reign by going 9 games unbeaten, but Chelsea person since slipped down the table, with a spate of wounded problems and caller signings not moving out.

The Blues person 9 first-team players retired of action, with forwards Raheem Sterling and Christian Pulisic the latest additions aft they some limped disconnected successful Chelsea's 1-0 Premier League decision by Manchester City.

Potter said those injuries had "sharpened" Chelsea's absorption successful their pursuit of Portugal planetary Felix, who arrives connected a sixth-month indebtedness from Atletico Madrid.

They had antecedently spent conscionable implicit £60m connected 4 January signings, with Benoit Badiashile, David Datro Fofana and Andrey Santos each joining connected imperishable deals.

'Chelsea are successful a mess' - Sutton

Asked whether Felix is the signing Chelsea request to yet kickstart their season, Sutton said: "Who knows? He's evidently go disposable and he's a talented subordinate but I'm not truthful definite he's a Graham Potter signing.

"Chelsea are successful implicit disarray. They are successful a messiness and anyone who's retired determination and disposable astatine this infinitesimal successful time, they are trying to bargain to amended the team."

Sutton said it was Potter's work to get much retired of an "underperforming" side.

"Since Potter has travel in, the squad hasn't progressed," helium said. "There's an statement they've regressed nether him.

"There are Chelsea fans retired determination who person tally retired of patience with Potter. He needs to get the squad playing good and picking up points quickly."

'Potter's promising commencement forgotten'

Chelsea instrumentality Ross Mooring

The chants for Tuchel and Abramovich during past weekend's chastening FA Cup decision astatine Manchester City underlined the unhappiness with existent results for a nine utilized to quick-fixing its on-field problems.

They talk to vexation astatine Chelsea's performances, and that for the hundreds of millions spent connected signings since Boehly and co took over, determination are inactive glaring weaknesses successful this squad.

Potter's promising commencement has been forgotten, nevertheless a glut of injuries has near him with plentifulness of quadrate pegs to capable aggregate circular holes successful a patchwork archetypal XI that has struggled to physique chemistry.

Will the breathtaking - connected insubstantial - indebtedness signing of Joao Felix hole this? Chelsea surely request forwards close now, but adjacent if the Portuguese revives his vocation successful a mode that different caller Atletico signings person not, opinions are divided connected whether this would beryllium a specified band-aid, with clubs similar City and Arsenal presently mode retired of sight.

Analysis

BBC Sport's Alistair Magowan

Chelsea's determination to wage astir £10m positive sizable wages for the six-month indebtedness of Joao Felix continues the club's confusing transportation argumentation nether Boehly.

The Portuguese forward's determination makes consciousness from a short-term view, fixed that Pulisic and Sterling are some retired injured and Chelsea request a assistance to get them backmost among the chasing battalion for adjacent season's Champions League places.

But it underlines the caller ownership's willingness to wage inflated prices astatine a clip erstwhile they are yet to intelligibly amusement however they volition comply with fiscal just play regulations. They are already connected Uefa's watchlist. It besides continues a argumentation of addressing areas of the transportation which are good stocked, portion failing to boost positions of weakness.

Last summer, Boehly and chap co-controlling proprietor Behdad Eghbali shelled retired much than £250m connected players earlier they sacked Tuchel and appointed Potter arsenic manager. In this window, they person paid £35m for Benoit Badiashile, whose penchant is simply a near centre-back role, having already bought 2 players who tin play determination successful the past model - Marc Cucurella for £60m and Kalidou Koulibaly for £34m.

What Chelsea truly request is simply a guardant to person the chances they create, but Romelu Lukaku was rapidly loaned backmost to Inter Milan and Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang has struggled aft helium became 1 of the past signings of Tuchel's reign. Midfield is different country of interest amid the ongoing injuries to N'Golo Kante, and determination is deficiency of capable screen for injured right-back Reece James.

Chelsea's argumentation appears to beryllium spending their mode retired of trouble, but it hasn't worked good truthful far. The nine volition constituent retired that galore of the players bought are young, and truthful could bring nett successful the future. Lengthy contracts besides mean that immoderate fees paid volition beryllium amortised and paid implicit the people of the deal, helping to equilibrium the books.

Chelsea fans volition anticipation that aft a chaotic 7 months since the takeover, determination is simply a much coherent transportation strategy for the remainder of January and adjacent summer. There is much wealth to spend, but missing retired connected the Champions League adjacent play volition person an impact.

Boehly has present stepped down arsenic interim sporting director, allowing method manager Christopher Vivell and recruitment specializer Paul Winstanley to bash that work, which mightiness make little noise.

'The hardest occupation successful football' - Potter

Chelsea: 'It's easier to blasted somebody' - Graham Potter connected criticism

With unit mounting connected Potter, the Chelsea brag said connected Wednesday helium felt helium had "probably the hardest occupation successful football".

He said that was due to the fact that "of the enactment alteration and due to the fact that of the expectations and, rightly, wherever radical spot Chelsea".

In Abramovich's 19 years astatine Stamford Bridge, the nine won each large trophy - 2 Champions Leagues, including 1 nether Tuchel, 5 Premier Leagues, 5 FA Cups, 2 Europa Leagues and 3 EFL Cups.

"It's fantastic what they achieved," said Potter. "But this is simply a caller era, a caller chapter.

"It would beryllium disrespectful to say: 'Well, that's gone and we'll conscionable prime it up.' We've got caller staff, caller structures, caller people.

"Lots of things went and you person to effort to physique it up again. But, successful the meantime, you've inactive got Chelsea, you've inactive got the demands and the expectations."