If you have been keeping up with the happenings taking place over in West London, then the image above may not come as a surprise to you. Since taking over club ownership in May of 2022, Todd Boehly and his consortium have spent over $1 billion USD.
The squad picture above does not even capture two recent signings in Jadon Sancho and Joao Felix, the former completing a loan move on deadline day. Chelsea have been busy in the transfer windows since the takeover, and it has not been a two-way street.
Chelsea’s new owners fit the current criteria of Premier League owners, who view their clubs as assets in a portfolio instead of pillars in communities. This is a sentiment that has been repeated even prior to the American’s takeover. It should come as no surprise that Clearlake Capital, the consortium heading the takeover, has managed to identify loopholes and gray areas in regulations aiming to reduce how professional clubs can spend.
As mentioned, Chelsea have had their fair share of departures in the several transfer windows in the time frame given. However, these departures feel more so targeted to any player that will net the club pure profit on the books. Players like Mason Mount, Connor Gallagher, and Fikayo Tomori have all completed permanent transfers away from the club. These three players all climbed their way up through the Chelsea ranks and when weighing potential and output on the field against the bottom line, they were all deemed to be better to ship off and help amortize the 17-year contract they have signed as 16-year-olds. We have not even touched on Strasbourg.
The list of senior players in the club should show as a sign of depth at positions or profiles to fit a tactical identity. When looking at that image, all I as a Chelsea fan can see is an attempt to hedge a bet on an incoming transfer ban.
To liken the beautiful game to something more American, Chelsea have offered scholarships to four- and five-star high school recruits in an attempt to replace the graduating class of seniors and draft-bound talent. The hope is that while the club is being punished for financial irregularities, the same players responsible for those punishments will be molding into a force on the pitch.
At the time of writing, Chelsea sits on 3 points after two games played and has qualified for the UEFA Conference League group stages after defeating the Swiss club Servette 3-2 on aggregate. In that short time, Enzo Maresca has completed what previous managers have failed to do in longer stints, which is establish an identity on the pitch. Fans have appreciated his clear statements on players who do not fit his plans. However, the previous shoe-in starters who are now training with the U-21s may have other opinions. After watching pre-season and the first handful of games in both competitions, it is clear how Maresca wants to play. Nerve-inducing sideways passes from goal kicks segwaying into third-man runs from our flanking $100m players. If you are a fan of 1-0 wins, you might just want to catch the highlights.
Will this be another season of Premier League mediocrity? Or can they become the first club to win all UEFA European competitions? Doing both would be a proper Chels thing to do.
stugazzilinho 
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