Chelsea spent big and often over the summer. Their stories are not done being written, but at the midterm point the report cards reveal a mixed bag.
In its constant pursuit of success, Chelsea is no stranger to making significant investments whenever a transfer window comes around. Since Roman Abramovich’s takeover of the club in 2003, north of €2 billion has been spent. In all fairness, the rewards have been evident with Chelsea being the most successful English team in that time.
Frank Lampard became the most recent manager to profit from the Russian billionaire’s financial buoyancy in the just concluded summer window. After successfully navigating his debut year as Chelsea gaffer where the club served a two-window transfer ban, the former Blues midfielder would have expected to have been massively backed and so it has turned out.
Seven signings worth just under a combined fee of €250 million were added to the roster as Lampard seeks to restore Chelsea to where they belonged during his playing days. The signing of Hakim Ziyech in February set the ball rolling while Edouard Mendy’s capture drew the curtain on what was one of the Blues’ most productive windows ever. In between them, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Malang Sarr, Ben Chilwell and Thiago Silva all walked through the door as the Blues prepared for a new season. Sarr was sent out on loan to gather more playing experience while the other six slotted straight into the first-team picture. As the season enters its second trimester, here is an evaluation of how they have all performed so far.
Edouard Mendy (€24m from Rennes): 8/10
Following Kepa Arrizabalaga’s dismal displays last season while conceding Chelsea’s most ever goals in a Premier League campaign, it was largely expected that he was going to be replaced as Chelsea’s number one. However, the club failed to acquire a new shot-stopper early enough and Arrizabalaga would go on to start the first two league games of the season. On the recommendation of Petr Cech, Mendy was brought into the club and has made an instant impact. His ability to claim crosses has helped Chelsea solve a major defensive deficiency from last season. Having played only 16 games, Mendy is already into double figures for clean sheets.
Ben Chilwell (€50m from Leicester): 7.5/10
Not often do you see a club break its record transfer fee for a defender, or on one who was injured at the time. Such was the faith which the Blues and Lampard showed in Chilwell. Despite links to other alternatives, Chilwell remained at the top of Chelsea’s wish list and the Blues got their man in the end. Few months into his Chelsea career and it’s safe to say the ex-Leicester fullback has justified that faith tremendously. Forming a part of a significantly improved Chelsea backline, he has also been brilliant going forward recording two goals and four assists already.
Thiago Silva (Free transfer from PSG): 8.5/10
Fresh from captaining Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final, Silva was brought in to bring his experience and leadership to Chelsea’s relatively young back four. The Brazilian has been superb for his team in that regard and he has vastly improved everyone around him. His ability to build up play from the back has also alleviated the effect of no longer having Jorginho in the side. A great testament to his positive contributions so far are rumors that Chelsea already plans to offer him a contract extension. Like his fellow positional peers, he has also chipped in with his fair share of goals, with the opener against West Ham being the most recent one.
Hakim Ziyech (€40m from Ajax): 6/10
A knee injury sustained in the Blues’ only preseason friendly at Brighton meant that Chelsea would have to wait a little longer to see their new winger in competitive action. He finally made his debut in the 3-3 draw versus Southampton but had to wait for 11 more days for his first start which came against Krasnodar and was marked with a goal. His injuries woes have come to the fore again as he’s currently sidelined. Two goals and three assists may not be the best of returns so far, but there is undoubtedly more to come from Chelsea’s Moroccan wizard as the season progresses.
Kai Havertz (€80m from Bayer Leverkusen): 4/10
When Havertz netted his first Chelsea treble against Barnsley in what was only his third game, many Blues fans were hopeful that it would be a springboard for more to come from their record signing. Unfortunately for the Blues and Havertz, it hasn’t turned out to be so. The German has struggled due to an accumulation of different circumstances. A positional malaise as well as just recovering from COVID-19 has seen him fail to replicate the form which convinced Chelsea to splash the cash in the first place. At this time, patience from Chelsea fans is of the essence and in due time, Havertz would hit top gear again.
Timo Werner (€53m from RB Leipzig): 5/10
Werner has had his ups and downs in his short time as a Chelsea player. A scoring run of five consecutive games has been followed by a goal drought of nine games where he still finds himself in. What may be more concerning for most Blues fans is perhaps the number of chances that he has missed in that period. He seems to be low on confidence at the moment which is highly understandable for a man in his predicament. A goal usually helps to get over this problem and in most cases, opens the floodgates once again. For the sake of everyone at Chelsea, we hope that goal comes sooner rather than later.
How do you rate everyone around halfway through the year? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!