Carragher picks out two ‘really glaring’ problems at Chelsea despite £600m spend
Jamie Carragher has picked out two “really glaring” problems Chelsea are still facing despite spending towards £600m in the last two transfer windows.
The Blues brought in Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, Malo Gusto, David Datro Fofana and Joao Felix over the January transfer window.
Some of their new signings started in their 0-0 draw against Fulham in the Premier League on Friday night but Graham Potter is again battling to gel another group of players into his side.
And that is one issue that Carragher sees taking a while to resolve with Potter effectively starting “with a new team”.
“The problem it gives you is integrating the players, is he almost feeling like he’s starting again with a new team,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“But also, they start with one front three and they finish with a different front three. It’s because you’ve got the options on the bench and because you’ve got those players you feel like, ‘Well go on, throw them on’, but then does that actually build a togetherness and flow?
“Eventually he has to pick his front three. Obviously it’s not going to happen right away but over the next few months you have to build patterns through a back four, through a midfield three and the front three.”
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang was left out of their Champions League squad earlier this week and it has been clear to everyone that they need to sign a new striker.
“You go back to how much they’ve spent, £600m, and that will keep getting mentioned. But the thing that leaves you scratching your head a little bit is: they haven’t got a striker!” Carragher added.
“They’ve spent £600m without really buying a striker. I know they’ve got Nkunku coming next season but there’s nothing really there right now.
“It looks like Aubameyang is not in the Champions League squad either. So it does feel really glaring that one big position for them on the pitch.”
Former Crystal Palace striker Clinton Morrison backs up Carragher’s point on Chelsea needing a new striker.
“You talk about the good business but it could have been even better if they bought a number nine,” Morrison told BBC Sport.
“You need that natural number nine in the squad – look at all the chances they have missed. I would have gone and got [Brentford striker] Ivan Toney.”