In the summer 2022, Todd Boehly kicked off a new era at Chelsea that can only be described as disastrous. The former 2020/21 Champions League winners under Thomas Tuchel quickly fired the beloved German manager, brought in Boehly’s pick Graham Potter from Brighton, promptly fired him, and have since entered a tumultuous relationship with ex-Tottenham coach Mauricio Pochettino.
Chelsea have gone from regular Champions League contenders and European champions to a team that basically has little hope of getting back into any sort of European competition.
They are spending more money than anyone else yet getting results equivocal to the likes of Wolves and Fulham within the Premier League. Other than success under Pochettino in cups, there isn’t much to love about the Blues right now.
Their transfer business under Boehly has been roundly mocked by fans and pundits around the world. So let’s take a closer look at the 10 worst signings of the Boehly era at Chelsea and break down what makes them so bafflingly bad.
10. João Félix, AM
How much Chelsea paid for João Félix
Chelsea paid Atlético Madrid an 11 million euro loan fee in the winter 2023 transfer window in order to sign João Félix. They did not even try to buy him permanently.
Why João Félix was so bad for Chelsea
The Blues decided to take a gamble on João Félix with the Champions League knockout stages on the horizon, and they were optimistic that the talented ex-Benfica man could show his qualities in a new environment away from Diego Simeone.
At the time, Simeone was foolishly being placed on the hot seat, with some blaming him for holding Félix back. In the end, Simeone, as always, got the last laugh, turning things around for Atléti’s Champions League qualification whereas Félix and Chelsea placed safely outside the top seven.
Félix had the same issues that plagued him at Atléti. He would not assert himself on matches, he did not defend, and he could not affect the final scoreline by creating clear-cut chances or providing any sort of solution to the Blues’ woeful finishing problem.
Chelsea did not sign him permanently and thus were not burdened by Félix, but they did pay his substantial wages and 11 million euros for a half-season of subpar attacking football. That’s as bad of a loan transfer as it gets.
João Félix’s future outlook
At Barcelona on loan from Atléti, Félix is once again caught in a state of limbo. He looks nifty on the ball but does not produce anything of note in terms of goals and assists. It is impossible to envision Barça splashing cash on Félix for a permanent transfer, and no top club would want a player so inconsistent and lacking a true positional fit in the modern game.
9. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, ST
How much Chelsea paid for Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang
Chelsea bought Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Barcelona for 12 million euros in summer 2022.
Why Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was so bad for Chelsea
It is anyone’s guess as to why Chelsea decided to buy Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang when he was so clearly past it at the top level that both Mikel Arteta and Xavi did not want to have anything to do with him.
Aubameyang was the worst striker in the Premier League at Chelsea, looking like a complete passenger. It was as if he didn’t want to be there. Auba scored just one goal in 551 Premier League minutes, though he was actually passable in the Champions League with four goal contributions.
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s future outlook
Shockingly, Aubameyang has been one of the standouts in Ligue 1 this season since moving to Marseille, following in the footsteps of Alexandre Lacazette and Alexis Sánchez as former Arsenal stars rebounding late in their careers after moves to the French league.
Of course, Ligue 1 isn’t exactly a beacon of footballing quality these days compared to the Premier League, so Chelsea shouldn’t have any regrets about things not working out for their former rival at Stamford Bridge. If anything, it’s puzzling why they signed the now-34-year-old in the first place.
8. Robert Sánchez, GK
How much Chelsea paid for Robert Sánchez
Chelsea spent a cool 28.7 million euros to sign goalkeeper Robert Sánchez from their favorite club to buy players in the Todd Boehly era, Brighton.
Why Robert Sánchez is so bad for Chelsea
Robert Sánchez was a head-scratching signing from the beginning and one of several examples of ill-advised moves Chelsea have made from Brighton.
The Spanish goalkeeper was not even one of the best players at his position while playing for the Seagulls, posting a save percentage below 67. He’s actually improved that mark this season for Chelsea, but the problem is he makes back-breaking errors that cost the Blues matches.
For nearly 30 million euros, Chelsea paid top goalkeeper money to a player who is average at best. The Blues could have signed a similarly-talented shot-stopper for about a third of that price.
Robert Sánchez’s future with Chelsea
Chelsea will probably try to find a new goalkeeper and upgrade on Sánchez, but given their bigger issues elsewhere in the squad, they may kick the can on a keeper for another transfer window.
7. Nicolas Jackson, ST
How much Chelsea paid for Nicolas Jackson
Chelsea purchased Nicolas Jackson from LaLiga side Villarreal in the summer 2023 transfer window, spending 37 million euros to sign a late breakout player in Spanish football.
Why Nicolas Jackson is so bad for Chelsea
Nicolas Jackson has shown signs of life lately and actually has nine goals to his name in the Premier League this season despite some truly abysmal finishing.
But therein lies the problem. Jackson has always been an inconsistent player and probably doesn’t have what it takes at a technical level to be a starting No. 9 for the Blues, even though his transfer fee would suggest otherwise.
He was a rash signing made this past summer based on a few brilliant months with Villarreal. Even Yellow Submarine supporters were surprised a club from England with Champions League ambitions decided to splurge on a mercurial, injury-prone forward who isn’t a true out-and-out 9.
Nicolas Jackson’s future with Chelsea
That said, Jackson does have skill, talent, and determination. He is not a bad player and can stick around in London as a rotational player in the attack, given he can even be used in other forward positions.
6. Enzo Fernández, DM
How much Chelsea paid for Enzo Fernández
The Blues put down a whopping 121 million euros to sign Enzo Fernández in January 2023, outgunning everyone else on the transfer market to sign the Benfica gem who had just helped lead Argentina to a World Cup triumph over France.
Why Enzo Fernández is so bad for Chelsea
It’s not that Enzo Fernández is bad, per se, it’s just that he was always going to be a disappointment in comparison to his 121 million euro price tag.
Compare that to Real Madrid signing Aurélien Tchouaméni from Monaco for 80 million euros and Jude Bellingham for 100 million from Dortmund.
Both Bellingham and Tchouaméni were literally the best players in their positions in top-five leagues, whereas Chelsea pretty much bought Fernández off Benfica’s hype and a great World Cup in which Argentina dominated a mostly weak field of competition.
Fernández is a decent player, but he’s looked like a 50 million euro midfielder at best and nothing close to approaching a 121 million euro player, which is a downright staggering fee for a holding player.
Only a handful of attackers can even justifiably go for that amount of money, and there may honestly only be four of those footballers in Vinícius Júnior, Harry Kane, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland. Nobody would dare put Enzo with those guys.
Enzo Fernández’s future with Chelsea
Enzo Fernández is still a good, young midfielder at a talent-scarce position, and he will probably start for Chelsea for the foreseeable future, so long as he continues to progress with his development. If he does stagnate, though, the Blues may move on from him and not be too picky, given they could never come close to recouping 120 million euros anyway.
5. Kalidou Koulibaly, CB
How much Chelsea paid for Kalidou Koulibaly
Chelsea splashed the cash for an aging Kalidou Koulibaly from Napoli, spending 38 million euros that the Partenopei would use to fuel their first Scudetto since the Diego Armando Maradona era.
Why Kalidou Koulibaly is so bad for Chelsea
Kalidou Koulibaly wasn’t as head-scratching of a transfer for the Blues as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, but it was still puzzling as to why Chelsea spent so much money on an over-the-hill center back.
Despite being a club legend, Napoli were pretty keen to move on from Koulibaly, and they very much sold the star center back at the right time, replacing him with a superior player in Kim Min-Jae, en route to a Scudetto.
Koulibaly was mistake-prone and clumsy in London, performing nearly as poorly at center back as Aubameyang did at striker. Thanks to Saudi Arabia, Chelsea were spared their blushes from this transfer.
Kalidou Koulibaly’s future outlook
Koulibaly has been decent enough in the Saudi Pro League, but there’s honestly nothing to suggest he would be a remotely useful player for a top Premier League side – or even a team simply in the top half of the table, which is, regrettably, where the Blues are now.
4. Moisés Caicedo, Brighton
How much Chelsea paid for Moisés Caicedo
Chelsea’s eyes bulged out of their heads, and they overpaid to beat other Premier League sides for Moisés Caicedo by writing a check to Brighton for 116 million euros.
Why Moisés Caicedo is so bad for Chelsea
Moisés Caicedo was a vital player to Brighton’s success in the 2022/23 season when they shocked the world by reaching the Europa League under new manager Roberto De Zerbi.
The 22-year-old Ecuadorian was one of the best players in the Premier League at any position, averaging 2.7 tackles and 1.5 interceptions per game.
Although Caicedo has still been useful defensively to Chelsea, he hasn’t been nearly as good positionally at blocking passing lanes or making interceptions. Some of that is down to a difference in coaching, but Caicedo genuinely looks less impactful.
Furthermore, he’s not the best midfielder on the ball, which makes paying 116 million euros for him all the more puzzling. Chelsea wanted to beat others to the punch for Caicedo, but in no universe is a defense-heavy midfielder worth anywhere near 115-120 million euros.
Moisés Caicedo’s future with Chelsea
Caicedo, like Fernández, is a starter for Chelsea, but because he is less adept on the ball at progressing play with his passing, his future may be more tenuous. Chelsea will likely be stuck with him for a while unless they can find a definitive upgrade. This midfield has not gotten much better after signing Caicedo in the summer, which is an indictment on what he’s offered.
3. Wesley Fofana, CB
How much Chelsea paid for Wesley Fofana
Perhaps intrigued by the links to Real Madrid, Chelsea made Wesley Fofana their transfer priority in the summer 2022 transfer window, dishing out 80.4 million euros to Premier League counterparts Leicester City in order to secure the French central defender.
Why Wesley Fofana is so bad for Chelsea
It’s hard not to feel for Wesley Fofana, because he can’t do anything about his serious knee injury. The problem is that, from the beginning, this signing reeked of desperation.
There are very, very few center backs in the world worth 80 million euros. In fact, the two best central defenders in the world right now, Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-Jae and Real Madrid’s Éder Militão, were not signed for anywhere near this amount.
Fofana cost that much because of the hype and because Leicester City are great at milking cash out of poorly-managed Premier League sides, whether that be Manchester United with Harry Maguire or the even more laughably incompetent machinery that is Todd Boehly’s Chelsea.
Wesley Fofana’s future with Chelsea
There’s no way Fofana will live up to this price tag, even if he ends up being a starter for Chelsea, which doesn’t even appear to be the case when he does return from injury. The Blues have already moved on with a sea of young central defenders.
2. Mykhaylo Mudryk, LW
How much Chelsea paid for Mykhaylo Mudryk
Chelsea stole away Mykhaylo Mudryk from Arsenal at the last second in January 2023, inking the Ukrainian standout from Champions League regulars Shakhtar Donetsk for a jaw-dropping 100 million euros.
Why Mykhaylo Mudryk is so bad for Chelsea
Mykhaylo Mudryk is a special athlete who shows glimpses of the world-class talent that made both Arsenal and Chelsea want him so badly from Shakhtar, but the problem is he cannot be relied upon.
The left winger does not translate his athletic tools into end product. His overall creative work is severely lacking and simply not at the Premier League level.
Although Mudryk, in theory, can make good on his transfer fee, that would entail him becoming one of the best wingers in the world. Given he is a 23-year-old who can barely crack the starting lineup of a team in the mid-table, Mudryk may end up being the next in a long line of hyped players who only ended up being worth a fraction of their original transfer fee.
Mykhaylo Mudryk’s future with Chelsea
Chelsea will probably try to jettison Mudryk the moment they add a world-class caliber left winger. His days of starting in a Chelsea kit are likely numbered, because every time he has one great game, he follows it up with fifth matches in which he is unreliable. Mudryk should have a good career in European football, but that will probably be somewhere else.
1. Marc Cucurella, LB
How much Chelsea paid for Marc Cucurella
For some reason, Todd Boehly and the Blues were smitten with Marc Cucurella, bringing Graham Potter his former player at Brighton for a puzzling 65.3 million euros, arguing it would help them keep a more promising defender in young center back Levi Colwill.
Why Marc Cucurella is so bad for Chelsea
Marc Cucurella never made sense as a signing for Chelsea. He did great things for Brighton and was a solid player for Getafe before that, but it was mind-boggling to see the Blues throw so much money at a limited, two-way left-sided midfielder with no real dynamism or much of an approach as a true left back.
Although Cucurella works for the team as a progressor and ball-winner, Chelsea could find a player with just as much talent who makes just as much of an impact in actual free agency. There are 20 players in LaLiga alone who are doing what Cucurella can do, for example.
Marc Cucurella’s future with Chelsea
Chelsea will likely phase Cucurella out and send him to a smaller club in the next couple of transfer windows, depending on the players they bring in. Cucurella has started just nine matches in the 2023/24 Premier League season and is no longer a regular for the team.
The managing editor of The Trivela Effect, Kevin has 15 years of experience in digital media. He has been an editor for NFL Spin Zone, Daily DDT for pro wrestling, Autzen Zoo covering the Oregon Ducks, Musket Fire covering the New England Patriots, The Real Champs covering Real Madrid, Old Juve covering Juventus, Rush The Kop covering Liverpool, and Release The Knappen covering Schalke. His work has been featured in ESPN, Bleacher Report, Yahoo! Sports, NBC Sports, and other outlets. You can contact him at the site’s official Twitter handle @TrivelaEffect or via the site’s official email thetrivelaeffect@gmail.com.