Same mistakes again! Chelsea splash €45m on player they DON'T need
Tom Weber
- Updated: 4 Aug 2023 10:26 BST
- 4 min read
Chelsea have completed the signing of Axel Disasi from Monaco - but did they really need to get him?
Wesley Fofana's ACL injury prompted the Blues to dip into the market and look for a replacement despite the fact that they still had four senior central defenders to fall back on as well as a promising youngster in Bashir Humphreys.
And they didn't just sign any replacement, either, they signed French international and Monaco star Axel Disasi for a whopping €45 million. There is no denying the fact that Disasi is a solid defender, but Chelsea may have paid over the odds to get him as his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) stands at €20.1m.
More importantly, however, this move could spell the end of Trevoh Chalobah's time with the Blues. The academy graduate has been repeatedly linked with a move to Inter and this could be what tips the balance in favour of an exit.
READ: Chelsea eye World Cup winner as Caicedo alternative
As FootballTransfers has previously explained using data from SciSports, Disasi is not an upgrade on the homegrown talent. On the contrary, Chalobah rates better than the Frenchman, and as far as rotational players go, there are few that can match his expertise and versatility.
Chalobah is 24 and Disasi is 25, so both are at the peak of their powers and will demand game time. Without European football, spreading the minutes around adequately over five senior central defenders will be tough.
Given that Chelsea spent €80.4m on Fofana, he must surely be seen as the long-term starting option once he is fully recovered, so unless Mauricio Pochettino is willing to experiment with a back three - which seems unlikely at this point - there will be little room for Disasi.
Do Chelsea need money?
On Thursday (August 3), news broke that Todd Boehly had begun courting investors who could give Chelsea a cash injection after the dire 2022/23 campaign that saw them miss out on European football despite spending €600m.
Sales have offset the Blues' spending this summer and they are currently €70m in the green and are also due a €17m sell-on bonus from Tino Livramento's transfer from Southampton to Newcastle. But should they end up signing Moises Caicedo and Dusan Vlahovic as well, the green would quickly turn red given that they could cost a combined €140m if not more.
READ: Chelsea lead race to sign €82m star – Fabrizio Romano
This again raises questions as to whether it was truly necessary to invest in Disasi especially if reports that Boehly is looking to raise capital turn out to be true. Truth be told, this move is reminiscent of the knee-jerk transfer decisions of last season.
