Chelsea have spent more than £1billion since 2022 and still find themselves with a starting XI that is nowhere near good enough.
That is the view of eSPORTY’s Inside Chelsea panel, who have called on the club to make five or six marquee signings this summer.
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Chelsea have slipped outside the Premier League top five amid a nightmare run under new manager Liam Rosenior, whose side lost to Newcastle and Everton either side of an 8-2 aggregate defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League.
eSPORTY understands the Englishman is expected to be in charge at the start of next season, regardless of how this campaign ends.
And after Chelsea narrowly escaped a transfer ban on senior players last week, Blues broadcaster Matisse Armani insists the squad needs a complete overhaul.
“The fan base is not stupid,” Matisse said on the latest episode of Inside Chelsea, sat alongside ex-Blues defender Jason Cundy.
“And people can clearly see that some of these players here, they’re not good enough and they’re not Chelsea level.
“You can’t dress it up. You’re going to find out the hard way.”
So what exactly do Chelsea need? Matisse has spelled it out in no uncertain terms…
Bring back Tomori?
Chelsea have one of the youngest squads in the Premier League with an average starting XI age of around 24 years old.
While those at the club would likely argue this allows them to operate as a sustainable business, ensuring they never lose too much value on players, others would suggest it makes the team naive.
Although filled with promise, Chelsea lack experience in big moments, especially in defence, where a number of sloppy mistakes have cost them dearly in recent weeks.
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“I think we need two centre backs,” Matisse said. “We don’t know what shape and condition Levi Colwill is going to come back in.
“And really, we should be blooding him into the team slowly and looking after him, making sure his recovery and everything goes to according to plan.
“We don’t want to just have to throw him back in and say, go and play 50, 60 games for your first season back from a massive injury.
“Chelsea have got a lot of centre backs to clear out, but there’s so many boxes that need ticking. You need someone quick, especially in the modern game.
“If Chelsea can play this attacking, intense pressing style, you need to leave a lot of space behind you. You have to be quick. You need to be incredible in the air. Chelsea are weak and fragile in the air.
“I think there’s leadership traits and intangibles that are missing as well in this team that somebody could bring in.
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“You need to be good on the ball. There’s so many boxes that need to be ticked. You need the perfect defender. We’re talking about the top 1 per cent. Can’t just bring anyone in.
“All of our centre backs feel like they’re the same, they’ve all got different weaknesses.
“Nobody’s at the level required. We basically need one of the best centre-backs in Europe. That’s what Chelsea need to move the needle.
“We don’t need someone that’s just good. We don’t need someone that’s got flaws and some errors in their game. We need someone that’s elite level. We need one of the best.”
When speculating over names, host Joe Flemons suggested re-signing a former academy product, now playing for AC Milan…
“Fikayo Tomori, I would have,” he said.
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Add physicality
Along with being one of the youngest, Chelsea are one of the lightest teams in the Premier League as well.
With the likes of Arsenal moving towards a more physical and pragmatic style, Chelsea have found themselves outmuscled on multiple occasions, not least in their 3-0 defeat at Hill Dickinson Stadium on Saturday.
There are also bound to be question marks around the future of Chelsea’s £200million midfield duo of Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo should the Blues fail to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Matisse added: “Chelsea are lacking a physical presence in midfield as well. I like our midfield a lot. But you look at the Casemiros, Rodris… There’s no No.6.
“I think Romeo Lavia is a really nice, fluid player. He’s a nice player on the eye. He’s not physical enough.
“Even when I watch Moises Caicedo, I think to myself he can still be kind of brushed to the side. He’s not an enforcer, where I’m talking about someone that’s going to defend set pieces, win the ball in the air, a patroller, where you bring him on, game’s done. We’re locking the game down.
“Chelsea need to add a lot more of those types of players that are physically imposing because the team’s too fragile, too weak, still can get bullied too easily.”
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‘Five or six’ players needed
It is not just the spine of the team – Matisse believes Chelsea are lacking an elite left-winger, as Alejandro Garnacho and Jamie Gittens continue to struggle.
“I don’t like our left wing options either. I don’t think any of them are Chelsea starting level,” Matisse said.
“So I think that position still needs looking at as well. And the goalkeeper… I don’t think they’re going to look at that because they had the opportunity last summer.
“So there’s still this still five, six players that I think you need to be bringing in to really have a team that can challenge for the league.
And that’s the level that Chelsea need to get to. They should be going for the league.
“We shouldn’t be talking after the window’s closed this summer saying, ‘Oh, Chelsea, you’re just going to try and qualify for the Champions League’. We should be talking about trying to compete for the league.
“That’s what we’re meant to be about.”
