Chelsea urged to 'back' Maresca despite €1.3 BILLION spend

Cameron Smith

21 Mar 2025 16:00 CDT
3 min read

John Terry has urged Chelsea to “back” Enzo Maresca in the transfer market, despite the fact that Clearlake Capital have spent more than €1.3 billion on new signings over the past three years.

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The Blues have revolutionised their transfer strategy since the arrival of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital in 2022, with the club focusing on signing talented youngsters on incredibly long contracts.

However, Terry believes Chelsea must sign reinforcements to Maresca’s first-team squad in order to challenge for major honours next season.

“They’ve got to back him [Maresca],” Terry told The Evening Standard. “They’ve got to strengthen the squad. That sounds quite bizarre because we’ve invested quite heavily in the football club. But, naturally, not all of those players take off and deliver what you expect.

“I’m sure we’ll dip back in the market and that will be supported by the owners, for sure.”

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Chelsea’s signings under Clearlake Capital

Chelsea have spent over €1.3 billion on 43 new players since 2022, yet they have failed to win a major trophy during that time and they now face an uphill battle to secure Champions League qualification following a downturn in form over the past three months.

Moises Caicedo is the club’s priciest arrival since Clearlake Capital replaced Roman Abramovich at the helm, while Kalidou Koulibaly, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Cesare Casadei have all joined the club and left permanently during the new owners’ time at Stamford Bridge.

Furthermore, Raheem Sterling, Joao Felix, Axel Disasi, David Datro Fofana, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carney Chukwuemeka and Christopher Nkunku have been tipped to follow suit this summer.

Chelsea have already confirmed the signings of Geovany Quenda (who will formally join in 2026), Estevao Willian, Kendry Paez, Mike Penders and Dario Essugo ahead of the summer transfer window, while the club are also hoping to land Ipswich Town forward Liam Delap.