Chelsea have spent more than £1 billion since 2022 and still have a starting XI that is nowhere near good enough.
That’s the view of The Pitch Prospect’s Inside Chelsea panel, who have urged the club to make five or six new signings this summer.
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Chelsea have slipped out of the Premier League’s top five in a nightmare under new manager Liam Rosenior. His team lost in the Champions League against Newcastle and Everton after losing 8-2 on aggregate to Paris Saint-Germain.
The Pitch Prospect understands the Englishman is likely to take charge at the start of next season, regardless of how that season ends.
And after Chelsea narrowly avoided a senior player transfer ban last week, Blues broadcaster Matisse Armani insists the squad is in need of a complete overhaul.
“The fan base is not stupid,” Matisse said on the latest episode of Inside Chelsea, where he sat next to former Blues defender Jason Cundy.
“And people can clearly see that some of these players here are not good enough and are not at Chelsea level.”
“You can’t sugarcoat it. You’ll find out the hard way.”
So what exactly does Chelsea need? Matisse made it clear…
Bring Tomori back?
Chelsea have one of the youngest squads in the Premier League with an average starting eleven of around 24 years.
While club members would probably argue that this allows them to operate as a sustainable business and ensure they never lose too much value on the players, others would argue that this makes the team naive.
Despite showing promise, Chelsea lack experience in big moments, particularly in defense, where a series of sloppy mistakes have cost them dearly in recent weeks.
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“I think we need two central defenders,” said Matisse. “We don’t know in what form and condition Levi Colwill will come back.
“And really, we should slowly integrate him into the team and take care of him to make sure his recovery and everything goes according to plan.”
“We don’t want to just throw him back in and say he should play 50, 60 games in his first season after a serious injury.”
“Chelsea have a lot of centre-backs to eliminate but there are so many boxes that need to be ticked. You need someone who is quick, especially in the modern game.”
“If Chelsea can play this attacking and intense pressing style, you have to leave a lot of space behind you. You have to be quick. You have to be incredible in the air. Chelsea are weak and vulnerable in the air.”
“I think this team also lacks leadership and intangibles that someone could bring.”
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“You have to be good on the ball. There are so many criteria that have to be met. You have to have the perfect defender. We’re talking about the top 1 percent. You can’t just bring in anyone.”
“All of our centre-backs feel like they are the same, they all have different weaknesses.”
“No one has the required level. We basically need one of the best central defenders in Europe. That’s what Chelsea needs to move the needle.”
“We don’t need someone who is just good. We don’t need someone who has weaknesses and flaws in their game. We need someone who is elite level. We need one of the best.”
Amid name speculation, presenter Joe Flemons suggested re-signing a former youth player who now plays for AC Milan…
“Fikayo Tomori, I would have,” he said.
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Add physicality
Chelsea is not only one of the youngest but also one of the lightest teams in the Premier League.
As the likes of Arsenal move to a more physical and pragmatic style of play, Chelsea have been overwhelmed on a number of occasions, not least in Saturday’s 3-0 defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The future of Chelsea’s £200million midfield duo Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo is also certain to be called into question if the Blues fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Matisse added: “Chelsea also lacks a physical presence in midfield. I like our midfield a lot. But look at the Casemiros, Rodris… There is no No.6.”
“I think Romeo Lavia is a really nice, fluid player. He’s a nice player visually. He’s not physical enough.”
“Even when I look at Moises Caicedo, I think to myself that you can still kind of push him into the background. He’s not an enforcer, where I’m talking about someone who defends set pieces, wins the ball in the air, a patrolman where you sub him in and it’s game over. We’re locking up the game.”
“Chelsea needs to field a lot more of these physically impressive types of players because the team is too fragile, too weak and still too easy to bully.”
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“Five or six” players needed
It’s not just the backbone of the team – Matisse believes Chelsea are missing an elite left-winger with Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens continuing to struggle.
“I don’t like our options on the left wing either. I don’t think any of them are at Chelsea’s starting level,” Matisse said.
“So I think that position still needs to be considered as well. And the goalkeeper… I don’t think they’ll look at that because they had the opportunity to do so last summer.”
“So there are still five or six players that I think you need to sign to really have a team that can fight for the league.”
And that is the level that Chelsea must reach. They should go to the league.
“We shouldn’t be talking about it after the window closes this summer and saying, ‘Oh, Chelsea, you’re just going to try to qualify for the Champions League’. We should be talking about trying to compete for the league.”
“That’s what we’re all about.”