Chelsea were already known to be one of the globe’s biggest spending football clubs under their previous ownership, but this perception has become far stronger since the arrival of Todd Boehly and his consortium of investors completed their takeover of the club in May 2022.
Boehly has spent close to £1bn since taking over as owner of Chelsea with the goal being to fast-track Chelsea back into the competition for the biggest prizes in both English and European football. This so far has not worked for the Blues though, as they currently sit in 11th place in the English Premier League and have already been defeated in the EFL Cup final this season.
One of the biggest problems that Chelsea have seemingly encountered this season has been their lack of a consistent number nine, with Cole Palmer having to pick up the slack as the side’s main goalscorer this season.
Nicolas Jackson was brought in last summer with the idea of becoming the new Chelsea number nine, but the striker has been extremely inconsistent in front of goal since his arrival. Nine goals in 24 matches is simply not good enough for a side who are aiming to return as one of the country’s biggest powerhouses, and 15 big chances missed this season is yet another example of his rather lacklustre finishing.
This has led to plenty of rumours and reports that Boehly will be lining up yet another big summer signing ahead of the 2024/25 season. The most likely target would be Napoli’s Victor Osimhen, who has scored an impressive 72 goals in 125 games since joining the Italian side as a 21-year-old back in the summer of 2020.
The Nigerian is one of Europe’s most desired transfer targets for a host of top sides and is likely to be tough for any side to capture this season, but multiple reports suggest Chelsea are Osimhen’s preferred move.
This would be a huge move for both the Nigerian and Chelsea, and the question would be how would Mauricio Pochettino line-up if Osimhen is to join his side in the summer window.
A change in system could see Pochettino lineup with Jackson and Osimhen spearheading as a front two, but it is unlikely that the Argentinian manager will make a change from his long-term preferred 4-2-3-1 set-up.
The goalkeeper has been another question that Chelsea are rumoured to answer with another signing in the upcoming transfer window with Robert Sanchez not quite putting out the performances that warranted his signing from Brighton. While Dorde Petrovic has done a good job since coming into the side, the highly-rated Diogo Costa has been linked with the Blues and would be a superb signing.
The rest of the side would likely line-up with the same players that Pochettino has had available this season with a defence of Reece James and Ben Chilwell at full-back with Axel Disasi and Levi Colwill making up the rest of the defence. The midfield could see big money signings Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez with Cole Palmer, Christopher Nkunku and Raheem Sterling just ahead of them and Osimhen leading the line for the Blues.
This would leave a huge amount of quality depth for the Chelsea manager to rotate his team around with players such as Wesley Fofana, Romeo Lavia, Benoit Badiashile and Mykhaylo Mudryk being just some of the players missing out.
Chelsea’s potential XI: Costa, James, Disasi, Colwill, Chilwell, Caicedo, Fernandez, Palmer, Nkunku, Sterling, Osimhen
Where would that team finish next season? Comment with your thoughts below!
