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Former Chelsea full-back Glen Johnson has cast doubt over the club's transfer strategy under Todd Boehly's stewardship. In particular, he has questioned their penchant for signing "flary wingers," which he believes could lead to a lack of balance in the squad.
Before even reaching the midway point in July, Chelsea have already splashed out a whopping £210million in the current transfer window. Approximately half that sum has been splurged on young talents Jamie Gittens, 20, and Joao Pedro, 23, with another £29m going on teen prodigy Estevao, each of whom may be vying for the same wing positions in the coming season.
It was only last summer when the Blues shelled out close to £100m for the services of Pedro Neto and Joao Felix, as well as bringing Jadon Sancho in on loan from Manchester United. And hefty fees have also been paid for Christopher Nkunku, Mykhailo Mudryk, Raheem Sterling and Noni Madueke, all since Boehly's takeover in the summer of 2022.
In total, Chelsea have invested roughly £450m on players who operate as wingers or in similar roles over the past three years, which equates to about a third of the staggering £1.5billion spent on new recruits during Boehly's tenure. Johnson, who was part of a £150m influx of talent in 2003 following Roman Abramovich's acquisition of the club, suggests that such heavy investment in one particular type of player might not be the wisest approach.
"They do seem to be buying a lot of 'flary wingers', if you like. And I would say it's [unbalanced] in that regard," he told The Mirror (via William Hill Vegas). "They seem to have a lot of very similar players in similar positions.
"But obviously they're buying young, so they're not all going to kick on from day one. So, I think long-term the process can work. But at the same time, for a club like Chelsea, they need to be competing sooner."
One noteworthy aspect of Chelsea's signing strategy under Boehly has been the adoption of exceptionally lengthy contracts, some as long as nine years. Initially, this move aimed to distribute transfer costs over a longer span to abide by financial regulations.
The Premier League revised its rules in December 2023 to cap the amortisation period for transfer fees to five years. But Chelsea have continues to offer the same long-term contracts, risking potential headaches if these players don't turn out to be sound investments.
Former England international Johnson, who made 71 appearances for the Blues, also underscored the importance of getting the right mix of both emerging talent and players primed for immediate success. Chelsea boasted the youngest squad in last season's Premier League at just 23.6 years old, suggesting they may still be short of achieving the ideal equilibrium.
He added: "You need to have the balance between the experienced players that have kind of been there and done it, as well as the young, flary youth players that, like I say, might not hit the ground running."
With the introduction of Gittens and Estevao, Chelsea's wings don't appear likely to receive that surge of experience anytime soon. Yet a promising conclusion to the last campaign suggests Enzo Maresca may still carve out success with his youthful selection.
Chelsea currently have no fewer than 11 players vying for the two available wing positions next season, not factoring in any potential exits this summer. This includes Madueke, Nkunku, Felix and Sterling, all rumoured to be on their way out, while Mudryk is staring down the possibility of a four-year doping ban.
Even if all five of those players were to depart, Chelsea would still find themselves with a surplus of wingers fighting for game time. Aside from securing the Conference League title last season, this group still lacks significant experience in winning trophies.
Securing fourth in the league has sparked fresh optimism at Stamford Bridge that a promising new era isn't far off. Aiming for Champions League glory will demand an even richer pool of talent, yet Chelsea could risk bloating an already crowded area of the squad.
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