Gary Neville believes Chelsea overspent for Enzo Fernandez and Marc Cucurella and has questioned Todd Boehly’s ‘strange’ approach in the transfer market.
Since acquiring Chelsea Football Club from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich a year ago, American entrepreneur Brian Boehly has spent close to £600 million on new player signings.
Neville thinks that Boehly’s approach has been “chaotic,” much like it was when Ed Woodward first arrived at Manchester United and wαnted to sign “everyone.”
The former England defender feels that Chelsea have overspent on Argentine midfielder Fernandez and Spanish left-back Cucurella, despite the fαct that they have made some quality player acquisitions over the course of the last two transfer windows. Cucurella was acquired by Chelsea from Brighton for a fee of £64 million in the summer of 2018, while Fernandez was acquired from Benfica for a fee of £107 million in the winter of 2018. Fernandez is the player with the highest transfer fee in the history of the Premier League.
During an appearance on Sky Bet’s The Overlap, Neville made the observation that “To me, Todd Boehly smacks of Ed Woodward when he initially came to Manchester United and wαnted to sign everyone.” It appeared to be that way at Chelsea during the summer, and the atmosphere was really hectic.
Marc Cucurella for £64 million and Enzo Fernandez for £107 million,” which is a fullback and a midfielder who will sit at the base of a three, respectively, have been purchased.
The maximum amount that can be paid for players of that type, such as Rodri, Fabinho, and Casemiro, is between £50 and £60 million.
These aren’t players that are playing in the front section of the pitch and scoring you 30 goals, so what they’re paying for the positions, what they’re getting for the money, they just look like bizarre transfers,’ said the analyst.
“I’m not trying to imply that the players are terrible. They have the potential to be incredibly terrific and even go on to be truly great. But I can’t wrap my head around the fαct that those players get paid so much.
Despite the extraordinary amount of money that has been spent at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are currently ninth in the Premier League standings and are 10 points outside of a spot in the Champions League. Jamie Carragher, a Liverpool icon, issued a warning to the Blues, telling them that “spending money does not ensure victory.” Carragher also stated that Graham Potter must already be afraid for his job.
In September, Chelsea’s previous manager, Thomas Tuchel, who had won the Champions League in 2021, was replaced by Potter, who had previously been the manager of Brighton. Boehly fired Tuchel.
Carragher stated that despite spending a significant amount of money, Chelsea’s current position in the league does not indicate that they have become a more competitive team. Spending money does not ensure that you will be successful.
