2 hours ago
38
Chelsea legend Pat Nevin reckons his old club had a more successful transfer window than Liverpool, despite the Reds' record-breaking summer spending spree.
Liverpool made headlines by smashing the British record transfer fee. The club's total expenditure smashed the $600 million barrier - the highest in Premier League history. High-profile signings like Alexander Isak, Florian Wirtz, and Hugo Ekitike underscored the club's expensive approach.
In contrast, Chelsea's dealings were less flashy but still substantial, with the Blues investing £284 million ($384.9 million) in new talent. While it may take some time to assess the real impact of each team's summer moves, Liverpool certainly grabbed the limelight.
However, Nevin suggests that Chelsea's more calculated recruitment strategy - focusing on young prospects with solid resale value - is a smarter long-term move, and one that could reap greater rewards than Liverpool's high-stakes spending.
He also cautioned that if expensive acquisitions like Isak don't perform, the Reds will not only be left with an underperforming, highly-paid player, they'll also find it difficult to offload him, especially at a profit.
"Isak is someone I can see Chelsea potentially going for, but if you're spending £125 million (£169.4 million), you're not making a profit if you sell in four years," Nevin told Mirror Football. "Isak would do the job for you, but Chelsea don't look at it that way.
"This is Chelsea's method. They won't buy players without a potential resale value. It's happened with plenty of clubs in the past where they've spent big on a player, and when it doesn't work out, there's no resale. Chelsea don't like that. That's not the model."
Nevin, who spent five years as a player at Stamford Bridge, went on to suggest that Liverpool might have overpaid for its marquee summer signings - particularly when compared to the players Chelsea secured in the same positions.
"The club have brought Joao Pedro in for half the price of Isak. Is Isak really twice the player that Joao Pedro is? I don't think so," the former Scotland international said.
"He's a fabulous player, he's probably better than Joao Pedro at the moment, but if you're looking at smart money, then Chelsea have got the better deal.
"Chelsea would have made back that Joao Pedro money from the sales they've made this summer and from the Club World Cup as well. The model looks alright to me. Don't get me wrong, Chelsea have spent a lot of money, but they've recouped that money as well.
"Chelsea are right amongst the top when it comes to spending over the past few years, but they would say they've been sensible. They're back in the Champions League, they've won the Club World Cup, so actually, you can see the model is working.
"Some of the players they've brought in are great value. Estevao might be the best value of the lot. He's only a kid, but he looks like a brilliant footballer. If he's this good now, you can only imagine how good he'll be if he keeps on improving.
"So, the way Chelsea look at it is, do we go for this talented 18-year-old or go out and sign Florian Wirtz for £100m+? You'll only know in three or four years who was right, but I think it's a close call from what I've seen."
English (US) ·