Mudryk branded a 'DISASTER' signing as Chelsea transfer strategy blasted

Tom Weber

Updated: 19 Feb 2025 10:31 CST
3 min read

Former Premier League striker Gabby Agbonlahor has taken Chelsea to task over their disastrous transfer policy.

The Blues thought they had overcome the worst of their embarrassing start to life under the Todd Boehly-Clearlake Capital ownership when new coach Enzo Maresca and his young guns got off to a flying start to the season.

Article continues under the video

However, things have taken a turn for the worse in recent months. When Chelsea were having fun and scoring goals, Maresca was quick to insist that this was not his idea of football and that he wanted a more measured approach from his team.

Yet the more the Italian has managed to stamp his authority on the side, the less effective they have become and they now find themselves in a form crisis.

Chelsea look exactly like what they, in truth, really are: an inexperienced team devoid of leadership. When things were going well, they were on fire, but they ultimately crumbled at the first sign of adversity and have failed to bounce back since.

© IMAGO - Mykhailo Mudryk and Joao Felix

Chelsea's disastrous transfer policy

The reason behind Chelsea's struggles is of course their transfer strategy, which the Boehly regime radically changed when it came to power. Rather than signing established stars, the Blues began exclusively targeting young players and this has spectacularly backfired.

Former Premier League striker Gabby Agbonlahor believes that Chelsea have essentially wasted more than €1 billion on 'disastrous' signings like Mykhailo Mudryk, Joao Felix et al.

“Look at some players they paid big money for and they’re just not performing,” he said on talkSPORT. “[Pedro] Neto didn’t try to take his man on against Brighton. He came in for big money.

"[Noni] Madueke can be good one week, poor the next. [Enzo] Fernandez getting bullied in midfield. There’s a lack of leadership and a lack of quality as well, to be honest. It’s scary what they’ve spent and wasted.

‘[Benoit] Badiashile was £35 million, we’ve not seen him play. Mudryk was a disaster of a signing. Enzo, Neto and [Christopher] Nkunku were all expensive. They spent £45m on [Joao] Felix and then sent him out on loan. Look at the amount of money they’ve wasted.”