How Chelsea made a PROFIT despite Lukaku & Saul signings

Martin Macdonald

• 2 Sep 2021 11:55 CDT
• 4 min read

Chelsea won the 2020/21 edition of the Champions League, meaning that their squad arguably did not require much surgery heading into the summer.

Following Frank Lampard's dismissal and the appointment of Thomas Tuchel, the Blues once again became a team to be feared, especially through their defensive solidity.

What was missing was a goalscorer, as in the Premier League last campaign their top scorer in the top flight was Jorginho, whose tally benefited from penalties.

Chelsea went into the transfer window prioritising the acquisition of a top-class striker, and they got one in the form of former player Romelu Lukaku, who completed an emotional return to Stamford Bridge, having left the permanently in 2014.

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The London outfit paid Inter £97 million (€115m) to bring him back.

On deadline day, their squad was further bolstered by the acquisition of Saul Niguez from Atletico Madrid, who has joined on loan with the option to buy in 2022.

Chelsea have improved their player ranks with two stars firing and ready to make an impact on the first team.

Last season, they were by far the biggest spenders in the window, with an outlay of more than £220m on the likes of Kai Havertz and Timo Werner.

Now, in 2021, they are actually in profit for the summer despite these two quality signings.

So, who has left to leave them in the green?

Tammy Abraham - £36m (€40m) to Roma

Tammy Abraham was Chelsea’s top scorer last season until Frank Lampard was sacked as manager and his season stagnated under Tuchel.

The Englishman played only nine times under the German with just four starts, two of which resulted in half-time substitutions and another saw Abraham go off injured after just 20 minutes.

Despite the lack of minutes in the second half of the season, the academy graduate managed the same goal tally as summer signing Timo Werner.

A transfer to Arsenal was mentioned, but Abraham made the decision to move abroad and join Jose Mourinho's Roma revolution.

Kurt Zouma - £30m (€35m) to West Ham

Kurt Zouma played a bit-part role for the Stamford Bridge side last season, making 36 appearances across all competitions for the club.

However, Zouma was rarely a first-choice pick by Tuchel once the German manager took over the reins in January and has spent much of the summer being linked with a move away from the club.

Despite being linked with a number of clubs in England and on the continent, the Hammers emerged as the most likely destination, and the move was confirmed near deadline day.

Fikayo Tomori - £26m (€29m) to Milan

Italian giants Milan confirmed the signing of Chelsea defender Fikayo Tomori on a permanent deal after the player signed a four-year deal with the club.

Tomori had been playing for the Serie A side since last January, when he made the move to Italy on loan after struggling to pick up game time under Lampard and then Tuchel.

Since then the young central defender has established himself as a first team regular at the San Siro and completed the previous season with 22 appearances and a single goal as Milan finished second in the league campaign.

As such, it seems as though Tomori’s performances proved impressive enough for the Italian club, who decided to activate a clause in the loan deal to make the move a permanent one.

Davide Zappacosta - £8m (€9m) to Atalanta

Chelsea have been trying to get rid of Davide Zappacosta on a permanent basis for a few seasons now and his destination would eventually prove to be Atalanta.

The Italian impressed enough on loan at Genoa last season to convince La Dea to swoop for him.

Victor Moses - £4.5m (€5m) to Spartak Moscow

Victory Moses finally, FINALLY completed a permanent transfer away from Chelsea, joining Spartak Moscow after a decade at Stamford Bridge.