CHELSEA and the transfer window have become a duo almost as iconic as Shrek and Donkey in recent seasons, and you wouldn’t be surprised to see Todd Boehly splash out on those two as well.
And this summer did nothing but build that reputation further, as the Blues broke multiple records on an action-packed deadline day.
PAEnzo Maresca and Todd Boehly have had plenty of transfer conversations this summer[/caption]
ReutersThe summer captures of Estevao and Joao Pedro have already proved to be good business[/caption]
The Blues also managed to secure a record-breaking deal to move Nicolas Jackson on
In a window of throwing strops, record fees, ‘bomb squads’ and ‘the plane does not go backwards’, Chelsea have been busy once more.
Incomings included some of the most talented young players in world football, one of whom is already being touted as a future Ballon d’Or winner – and outgoings saw one of the sagas of the summer concluded at the death.
So here’s how SunSport Chelsea Reporter Lloyd Canfield rated the Blues’ transfer window…
WERE CHELSEA SUCCESSFUL?
With a few days to go until deadline day, the praise of Chelsea’s business was rife, but as usual with the South-West London side – things were not straight forward.
Injuries and sales left Enzo Maresca without an elite-level centre-half, not much cover for Cole Palmer, and – with Liam Delap injured – only Joao Pedro as a recognised striker – with question marks still remaining over Robert Sanchez in goal.
Chelsea failed to really address any of these issues with world-class players, with the likes of Xavi Simons, Fermin Lopez, Ebere Eze, Marc Guehi, Hugo Ekitike and Mike Maignan all available this summer.
However, it’s hard to argue against many of the players that BlueCo did bring in…
Estevao has already got the Stamford Bridge crowd eating out of the palm of his hand, while Joao Pedro has been as impressive as any signing made in the Premier League so far.
GettyChelsea signed Facundo Buonanotte on loan from Brighton to cover Cole Palmer[/caption]
Chelsea’s net spend ended in the green with a £17.7m profit
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The signings of Garnacho and Gittens are waiting-and-see jobs, though over £90m for the pairing begs the question if either of them are a significant upgrade on Tyrique George or Pedro Neto who can both play on that side already.
They also bolstered positions in which they needed depth, with Jorrel Hato, Dario Essugo and the re-integration of Andrey Santos providing cover for Marc Cucurella and Romeo Lavia.
The most undeniably successful part of Chelsea’s window however was their sales, from which they raised over £300m, including offloading ALMOST all of their ‘bomb squad’ for impressive fees.
Unwanted stars including Carney Chukwuemeka, Djordje Petrovic, Lesley Ugochukwu, Armando Broja, Joao Felix, Noni Madueke, Kepa, Ben Chilwell, and Christopher Nkunku were just a few of the TWENTY-ONE players who headed out of the Stamford Bridge exit doors this summer for a fee.
That said, as it concluded it felt like another window of looking forward to next season rather than the current one – with good players being bought in, but none of the world-class quality that will rubber stamp the team as title challengers.
CHELSEA’S TRANSFER WINDOW REPORT
The pros and cons of the 2025 summer transfer window at Stamford Bridge
Pros:
Big fees for unwanted players, raising over £300m in sales, a record for a PL club in a singular window.
Secured long term deals for young, future stars including Joao Pedro and Estevao.
Added depth to key areas including defensive midfield, left-wing and left-back.
Cons:
Showed interest in top-class goalkeepers and attacking midfielders, failing to sign either.
Not able to use the market to replace the injured Levi Colwill or Liam Delap, may regret selling Nicolas Jackson.
Still have Raheem Sterling collecting hefty wages, after being unable to find a move for him.
BEST BUY?
A toss-up between two Brazilians, but it’s hard to look past the proven numbers already of Joao Pedro.
Signed from Brighton for £60m, he has represented great value for the Blues already – helping secure the Club World Cup trophy, and a hefty prize pot, before scoring two goals and two assists in three games in the Premier League already this season.
When you compare that to the fees Newcastle paid for Nick Woltemade, and Liverpool paid for Hugo Ekitike, it looks as though Pedro, 23, may be the best of the bunch.
He’s competing for the honour of SunSport’s ‘best Chelsea buy’ with Estevao, signed for an initial bargain of just £29million and tied down to a long term contract – if he is to ever leave Stamford Bridge, he will surely be worth over £100m.
The Braziliant pairing have had a dream start to life at Chelsea.
Joao Pedro has had a brilliant start to the season, and cost less than Hugo Ekitike
WHERE DID THEY FALL SHORT?
Enzo Maresca asked for a central centre-half to replace the injured Levi Colwill, and the club instead pursued a ‘market opportunity’ for Alejandro Garnacho.
That is the kind of decision that could cost Chelsea the Premier League title.
Chelsea failed to replace Levi Colwill in the 2025 summer window after he suffered an ACL injury
The Blues have also been left with only Joao Pedro and Marc Guiu as number nine options, with Liam Delap out injured, with Chelsea making something of a beautiful mess out of Nicolas Jackson’s move to Bayern Munich.
They may have couped a record-breaking loan-fee for the Senegalese forward, and get big money for him if Bayern fulfil their obligation to buy him – but if Joao Pedro suffers an injury they could be in serious, serious trouble up front – relying on what was Sunderland’s third choice striker.
While they did brilliantly to offload many players, including Ben Chilwell to Strasbourg in what can only be imagined as a ‘David Brent’ type negotiation – even BlueCo have been unable to find a permanent home for Raheem Sterling.
It was no secret that the club were also interested in a new goalkeeper and hybrid left-wing/attacking midfield option – targeting the likes of Xavi Simons and Mike Maignan, but instead ended up sticking with Robert Sanchez and bringing in Facundo Buonanotte on a season long loan from Leicester.
GettyThe Blues lost out on Xavi Simons to Spurs[/caption]
WHAT HAPPENS IN JANUARY?
Chelsea are the toughest team to predict this for, because they could be top of the league by 5/6 points by Christmas, but could equally be languishing outside the European spots with an injury hit XI, totally fatigued by the Club World Cup and Champions League fixtures.
The Blues will almost certainly be looking for another number nine in January, especially if it looks like they will scoop a further £56million from Bayern Munich for Nicolas Jackson, though the market for those is few and far between.
Chelsea loaned out Nicolas Jackson to Bayern, and have not adequately replaced him
They may also re-visit a move for Fermin Lopez or a centre-back, depending on how well Trevoh Chalobah and Tosin can keep up with the demands of the Premier League and Champions League – it will be worth keeping an eye on Marc Guehi’s situation at Crystal Palace.
The exit of Tyrique George is likely to be revisited too, after his £22m move to Fulham fell through after Monday’s 7pm deadline – many teams will be interested in securing his signature.
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