Chelsea could MISS OUT on new striker due to woeful recent form

Cameron Smith

16 Apr 2025 06:30 BST
3 min read

Chelsea could potentially be set to miss out on a new striker this summer if they are unable to qualify for the 2025-26 Champions League.

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The Blues were in an assured position before Christmas, comfortably in second place before league leaders Liverpool, but their recent slump could result in a major dent being taken out of Enzo Maresca’s summer transfer budget.

Chelsea have only won five of their last 16 Premier League matches and they are now sat in sixth place, one point behind Manchester City in the final Champions League spot.

Back-to-back draws against Brentford and Ipswich Town have seriously harmed Chelsea’s chances of securing their place back in Europe’s elite club competition and with fixtures versus Fulham, Everton, Liverpool, Newcastle United, Manchester United and Nottingham Forest still left to play, the Blues are in a concerning position.

Furthermore, The Sun report that Chelsea are set to see €82 million (£70m) wiped off their summer transfer kitty if they are unable to qualify for the Champions League this year - due to prize bonuses and gate receipts.

In fact, Rob Wilson, a professor at the University Campus of Football Business, has revealed that Chelsea could be set for financial woes if Maresca is unable to oversee a late-season revival.

He told The Sun: “Their reported profits are suggesting financial health, but the underlying losses basically indicate a reliance on accounting strategies. You can't trade on accounting strategies forever.

“What you're doing is essentially just putting off the inevitable, which is at some point you're going to post a pretty significant loss or you're going to have to have a big asset sale.

“They are kind of protecting that with the longevity of the player contracts that they've been including. They are properly on a knife edge in my view.

“They are backing themselves or have already backed themselves into a pretty unmanageable corner.”

Chelsea want a new striker

Chelsea are still likely to sign a new striker, regardless of whether they qualify for the Champions League or not, but a dent of over €80m in their transfer budget will no doubt have a fairly substantial impact on their business.

Victor Osimhen, Benjamin Sesko and Liam Delap are among the Blues’ key centre forward targets, with the club eager to purchase a player capable of challenging Nicolas Jackson for a starting spot at Stamford Bridge.