Chelsea abandon youth transfer policy for two goal machines

Carlo Garganese

1 Oct 2023 17:22 BST
4 min read

Chelsea are set to move away from their strict transfer policy of only signing young players in January.

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That is according to a report in the Guardian, which claims that Todd Boehly and his management team have come to the realisation that more experience is needed in order for the club to be successful.

Since Boehly took the reins at Stamford Bridge just over a year ago, he has spent over €1 billion on new players.

The transfer policy has focused heavily on selling older players and signing youngsters who can develop into top-class players and create a dynasty.

This past summer, as the Guardian reports, 14 senior players left Chelsea and were replaced by 14 talented youngsters.

There has been an unofficial policy in 2023 of only signing players under the age of 25, often handing them huge contracts of eight years.

Chelsea have signed three young starlets for over €100 million in Mykhailo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez and British record signing Moises Caicedo.

They have also spent heavily on other young players like Romeo Lavia, Christopher Nkunku and Nicolas Jackson.

However, the results and performances in 2023-24 so far have proved to be just as disastrous as they were when the Blues finished 12th last season.

Mauricio Pochettino’s men are currently 15th in the Premier League, only two points above the relegation zone.

The Guardian reports that there is a realisation that Chelsea need more experience in their team in order to help the younger players grow and to get better immediate results.

The number one priority in the January transfer window will be a new number nine as Chelsea have continued to struggle to score goals this season.

Who will Chelsea sign in January?

There are two experienced attackers who will not be under 25 in January who Chelsea are considering.

The first is world-class Napoli striker Victor Osimhen. The Nigerian, who will turn 25 in December, was the best player and top scorer in Italy last season as Napoli won their first Scudetto in 33 years.

He will be extremely costly as Napoli will demand around €150m but the recent TikTok fiasco has raised doubts about his future. Nevertheless, a transfer is more likely at the end of the season than in January.

© ProShots - Toney is available for sale in January

A more likely possibility in January is Ivan Toney, who will return from his betting ban in January 2024. Brentford are open to selling Toney, who will turn 28 in March.

There are some doubts whether Toney can make the step up at Chelsea, but he has proven himself as one of the best English strikers around in recent years with 20 Premier League goals in 2022-23.