Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez haven’t lived up to their price tag yet (Photo: Getty)
Frank Leboeuf says Chelsea missed a big opportunity by not signing two ‘experienced’ players who instead joined rivals Tottenham and West Ham.
It’s been another woeful season for Chelsea who are currently ninth in the Premier League despite spending over a £1billion on new players since Todd Boehly’s takeover in 2022.
Very few of their signings since then have lived up to their price tags, and it’s been widely acknowledged that the team is struggling because of the squad’s inexperience.
‘It is a new team with profiles in the squad that we are learning,’ manager Mauricio Pochettino said after his side were held to a 2-2 draw with bottom of the table Sheffield United last Sunday.
‘The combination sometimes, that is why the process always takes time. It’s not a magic thing. It’s a project, a three or five-year process to build a team.’
Former Chelsea defender Leboeuf has slammed the club’s recent transfer policy and reckons their problems could have been solved had they had targeted more experienced players, citing two England stars as an example.
‘In the summer, Chelsea should’ve signed James Maddison and James Ward-Prowse, players that cost little money compared to what they spent but could’ve brought so much,’ he told Fastestpayoutonlinecasino.com.
James Maddison has been a great signing for Tottenham (Photo: Getty)
‘I don’t understand why the club would ignore them. Pochettino said this week as well that his players maybe didn’t have the maturity to play in a tight schedule and he’s speaking the truth.
‘Spending money doesn’t mean spending crazy money again. Going back to Maddison and Ward-Prowse, they don’t cost a lot and they bring more experience.’
Midfielders Maddison and Ward-Prowse were both available for relatively cheaper fees last summer after Leicester and Southampton were relegated to the Championship.
James Ward-Prowse is enjoying a great first season at West Ham (Photo: Getty)
The former joined Spurs for £40million while the latter went to West Ham for £30m and both have enjoyed great first seasons at the London clubs, recording 29 goal contributions between them so far.
By contrast, midfielders Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo – who could cost Chelsea a combined £222m -have struggled since moving to Stamford Bridge.
‘You have to feel for Moises Caicedo at Chelsea because nobody is worth that price tag. We all know the business puts a huge demand on players,’ Leboeuf added.
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‘It’s hard sometimes to cope with that situation and the pressure, even though we know that Caicedo is a tremendous player but he isn’t experienced. He could’ve gone to Liverpool and been exceptional because of the players he had around him.
‘It’s the same with Enzo Fernandez, a World Cup winner but inexperienced and surrounded by inexperienced players. I’m not surprised it hasn’t worked out so far.
‘Just look at Alexis Mac Allister at Liverpool, he’s playing so well because he’s surrounded by players that he can trust while Chelsea are in their inexperienced era.’
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