Chelsea have signed some big-name attackers in recent seasons, having spent a fortune on new players since Todd Boehly bought the club in 2022. According to Oliver Hopkins of The Analyst, the Blues have spent around £1bn since the American tycoon bought majority shares in the club, much of which has gone on attacking talent.
Todd Boehly's worst transfers at Chelsea… so far
There are plenty to choose from, but who has been Boehly’s biggest mistake at Stamford Bridge?
2 ByStephan GeorgiouAug 23, 2024
The most notable attacker they have bought is, of course, Cole Palmer. He has been simply extraordinary for the Blues since his £42.5m move from Manchester City, scoring 31 goals and grabbing 19 assists in just 53 games. Other attacking arrivals in recent transfer windows have included Pedro Neto and Christopher Nkunku.
Chelsea’s most recent signing was also someone brought in to add depth in attacking areas, and so far he has proven to be a big success. That player is Jadon Sancho.
Sancho’s stats for Chelsea so far
It was a disappointing end for Sancho at Manchester United. He fell out with boss Erik ten Hag, who froze him out before the winger joined former side Borussia Dortmund on loan for the second half of the 2023/24 season.
He left Old Trafford this summer, switching Manchester for London to join Chelsea, the club he has previously said he supported growing up. The 24-year-old joined the Blues on an initial loan deal with an obligation to buy next summer.
He has been a big hit for Enzo Maresca’s side so far. Despite having played just three games, the England international already has three assists to his name; they came in each game – against Bournemouth on debut, away to West Ham United, and last time out for Palmer against Brighton.
Incredibly, the Chelsea No 19 is already halfway there when it comes to matching his assist tally in 83 games for United. Sancho provided six goals for his teammates during his time at Old Trafford, scoring on 12 occasions in that time, too.
Despite his market value falling as low as £20m when he was a Red Devil (as per Transfermarkt), the winger’s fine form for Dortmund last term and his excellent start at Chelsea has seen his value increase. Sancho is already valued at €30m (£25m), and if his form continues, it will only continue to grow.
Whilst Sancho’s stocks have begun to rise in the past few weeks, Chelsea once had an even more valuable winger on their books, who they may wish they had kept hold of instead of losing him for free.
All 2024/25 Premier League clubs ranked by net spend
Football FanCast has looked at the net spend of 2024/25’s Premier League clubs, going back to the 1992/93 season.
ByLewis ThompsonJun 29, 2024 The player who’s now worth more than Sancho
The attacker in question here is Bayern Munich and recently capped France international winger Michael Olise. Now one of the best right-wingers in the world, the former Reading and Crystal Palace player was someone Chelsea lost out on when he was an academy player.
According to a report from BBC Sport, the Frenchman was part of Chelsea’s esteemed Cobham academy up until the age of 14, when the Blues released him for free. Whatever the reason was, it has proven to be a choice they must now regret.
Incredibly, the Blues were interested in re-signing their former academy prodigy this summer, and given his record at Selhurst Park, that is no surprise. The Frenchman scored 16 goals and grabbed 25 assists in 90 games for the Eagles, with 10 goals and 6 assists coming in 19 games in the 2023/24 season. Football statistician Statman Dave described him as “unstoppable” for a reason.
Chelsea were willing to pay upwards of £60m for his services, along with Man United and fellow Premier League side Newcastle. In the end, it was German giants Bayern who won the race for his signature.
Olise’s move to Munich has been nothing short of a success so far. He has played eight games for the club so far, scoring five goals and registering three assists. With that in mind, it is no surprise that his value has risen so much. He is now worth a whopping €55m (£46m), almost double that of Sancho’s value. Given they lost him for free, that is an outrageous loss for the Blues.
Club
Value
Date
Age
Reading
£6.6m
December 2020
19
Crystal Palace
£15m
December 2021
20
Crystal Palace
£18.4m
November 2022
20
Crystal Palace
£41.8m
December 2023
22
Bayern Munich
£46m
October 2024
22
Chelsea fans might well wish they had not released Olise as a youngster and instead helped him hone his craft at Cobham. Had he ended up an academy graduate of the club, he might have become one of the best players at Stamford Bridge, and thrived alongside the likes of Sancho and Palmer.
