Chelsea – Transfer Window Ranking: January 2022/23

Chelsea have been the talk of the transfer window, yet again. But only this time, they’ve gone on and spent more than €300m in the January transfer market, a window which usually doesn’t see a lot of money being spent.

The Blues’ transfer activity was so extravagant that they ended up spending more than all of Ligue 1, Bundesliga, La Liga, and Serie A combined. But will their lavish winter spending yield any dividends on the pitch as they look to crawl up the table from their midtable mire? We assess Chelsea’s transfers below.

David Datro Fofana – €12.00m

The young striker was signed from Norwegian giants Molde pretty early on in the window. After Broja’s worrying ACL injury, along with Aubameyang and Havertz’s poor goalscoring form, Chelsea had to step into the market for a centre forward.

Considering the imminent arrival of Nkunku in the summer, Chelsea, therefore, went a bit left field with their choice in recruiting the 20-year-old Ivorian instead of splashing big on Vlahovic or Osimhen. Keen to follow in the footsteps of his fellow countryman and Chelsea legend Drogba, Fofana came off a 15-goal season for Molde in the Eliteserien.

Fofana also likes to take a high volume of shots, an area that Chelsea has been lacking in recent times. The nimble-footed striker is still very raw and is a player Chelsea will hope can make an impact in the years to come. Overall, it’s a good piece of business considering how lightweight they seem in that department.

Benoît Badiashile – €38.00m

This was perhaps the least talked about transfer of Chelsea’s window, but has surprisingly been their most effective signing from the evidence thus far. The 21-year-old Frenchman has been a symbol of calm for Chelsea in the 3 games he’s started and has already forged a strong partnership with veteran Silva that has seen the club keep 3 consecutive cleansheets since his arrival.

Badiashile has been good on the ball, slotting perfectly on the left side of defence. He has a high tackle completion percentage of 75% in his 3 games so far. His height and positional awareness also enable him to get to the ball first and win his aerial duels.

However, he does have the odd mistake in his game which was present in his spell at Monaco. But age is on his side and with experience, Chelsea will hope he can cut that aspect out of his game.

What initially seemed like an unnecessary transaction now seems like a bargain for Chelsea. If Badiashile can carry on the same form, they will have saved millions that they would’ve otherwise spent on Gvardiol, who also shined at the World Cup.

Andrey Santos – €12.00m

The talented Brazilian midfielder from Vasco da Gama is one for the future, as the Blues were quick to pry him off of South America at just 18 years of age. Despite not having played in a Chelsea shirt yet, he has already shown his class at the ongoing U20 World Cup, scoring 5 goals.

With a clear knack for goals from midfield, he is not just good on the ball but also has the industry to be a box-to-box player. He is a shrewd signing that Chelsea will hope to integrate in the next year or two.

Joao Felix (Loan) – €12.00m

There were a number of clubs vying for Felix’s signature this January from Atletico de Madrid. But the Portuguese midfielder decided to move to Chelsea, despite signing a new contract extension with Los Colchoneros.

His debut for Chelsea was an eventful one, which lasted only 58 minutes because of his sending off, after which he hasn’t played since the 13th of January due to suspension. However, despite having played only less than an hour, he registered the most shots (6), shots on target (4), successful take-ons (2), and also won the most fouls (4) of any player on the pitch that evening.

Who will João Félix be playing for by the end of the transfer window? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/HLwluM1SEl

— Squawka (@Squawka) January 2, 2023

Away from the shackles of Simeone’s pragmatic football where he averaged a goal or an assist every 101 minutes in La Liga since the start of last season only after Bnezema and Dembele, he now has more freedom to attack in the final third and showcase his talents where they truly lie.

But it is a bit of a strange transfer as it sees the 23-year-old only there for another 5 months after which he will go back to parent club Atletico, who will then not sell the newly extended Felix on a cheap transfer.

Mykhailo Mudryk – €70.00m

Probably the biggest surprise of the transfer window, Mudryk signed for the West London club after spending several months prior to that flirting with Chelsea’s North London rivals Arsenal. After having made his interest to join the Gunners clear, the Ukrainian ended up signing for Chelsea in one of the most fascinating transfer hijacks.

Quick, direct, and with slick and skillful feet, he is the injection of life that Chelsea desperately needs with the poor form of every other Chelsea forward. In less than a month at the club, Mudryk has already broken the record for the fastest recorded speed by a PL player this season at 36.63 km/h

From his time at Shakthar, Mudryk features in the top 90+ percentile for goals, assists, xG, xA, completed dribbles, shots on target, GCA, through balls, and key passes.

However, unlike the Ukrainian league, he will have much less time and space in England. How quick he will adapt remains a question mark.

Noni Madueke – €35.00m

Madueke was signed from PSV after a great deal of scouting saw Chelsea making a move for the pacy and tricky winger. The left-footed player will add much needed dynamism and skills to the right of Chelsea’s attack as the heir to Ziyech, who has struggled to replicate his national team or Ajax form in his spell at the Bridge.

The 20-year-old has however had a few injury problems in his young career. However, in the 2020/21 season, he notched up his career-best figures, scoring 7 goals along with bagging 4 assists in just 7 starts racking up a goal involvement every 87 minutes.

From his time at PSV this season, Madueke also features in the top 90+ percentile for assists, xA, npxG, completed dribbles, total shots & shots on target, GCA, and progressive passes made & received.

On his debut against Fulham, he threaded the ball 5 times into the final third. His ability to cut through defenses will be a much valued asset at Chelsea, where oftentimes there has been a lack of creativity and cutting edge. At that price point, it is a shrewd bit of business from Chelsea.

Malo Gusto – €30.00m

With Reece James missing plenty of games through injury, the pacy and attack-minded Malo Gusto has been signed with a vision to both be an able backup to the Englishman as well as compete with him for the RB spot.

However, the 19-year-old Frenchman was sent back to Lyon again on loan until the end of the season. While it may be a good move for Gusto to get more game time and move to Chelsea in the summer to impress Potter in pre-season, the Blues will have hoped for him to stay for the second half of this season as cover for James, especially with Azpilicueta not being as effective.

Enzo Fernandez – €120.00m

The blockbuster move of the window was saved for deadline day, as Chelsea somehow managed to seal the services of World Cup winning midfielder Enzo Fernandez for a British transfer fee record.

Signed for just €10m by Benfica from River Plate, Fernandez showcased his quality in the Primeira Liga, topping the charts in passing categories like passes completed (1446), progressive passes (105), successful switches of play (30), successful long passes (161), and passes into the final third (248).

His stock increased at the World Cup, he averaged 68 passes per game at a pass completion rate of 86%. His ability on the ball and creativity in midfield led him to win the young player of the tournament award.

Enzo Fernández's Premier League debut by numbers:

100% aerial duels won
74 passes
10 x possession won
9 duels won
8 passes into final ⅓
6 tackles made
3 clearances
2 fouls won
1 chance created
1 shot
0 fouls

He made more tackles than any other player on the pitch. 👏 pic.twitter.com/HV8XOkT9fb

— Squawka (@Squawka) February 3, 2023

The Argentine largely impressed on his debut against Fulham. When paired with a defensive midfielder, Fernandez could play an advanced role in a midfield pivot and could solve the long standing issue that Chelsea has had in the middle of the park, providing vision and creativity apart from defensive cover.

Summary

Total Amount Spent: €329m

Number of Players Brought in: 8

This was a record breaking window for Chelsea. In Potter’s first transfer window, Chelsea’s new owners have splashed the cash with the help of their new recruitment team, signing some of the best young talents in the world.

While the quality of the players or the necessity of the signings aren’t in question, the massive transfer fees paid by the club to acquire the services of these players in a frantic window as that of January has raised a few eyebrows across the footballing world.

However, the long-term contracts offered by the new owners to spread out the costs of these players to manage FFP, along with their aggressive and ambitious strategy to rebuild the team with talents shows that Chelsea are not here to muck about.

Overall, Chelsea might not see the best out of their purchases right off the bat, but it does provide much room for optimism heading into the future once the project kicks into gear.

Grade: A-

Also read: Arsenal – Transfer Window Ranking: January 2022/23