Chelsea have splashed the cash under new co-owner Todd Boehly in the transfer market.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has been warned that he has handed Blues boss Graham Potter a “draining” problem following his big spending spree since taking over at Stamford Bridge. Enzo Fernandez joined on transfer deadline day as a British transfer record signing at £107million, taking the club’s spending under Boehly and co to over £500m.
Fernandez became the eighth January signing at Chelsea after Mykhaylo Mudryk, Joao Felix, Noni Madueke, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos and David Datro Fofana, while deals have been tied up for Christopher Nkunku and Malo Gusto to join in the summer. Chelsea icon Gianfranco Zola has warned his former side that such an overhaul presents challenges to Potter, who could be drained psychologically having to manage so many stars.
“Well, I can tell you I’ve been there in that situation with the club [Watford] when they bought about 40 new players, and we had to train 28 players,” Zola told BT Sport. “We didn’t even have 28 lockers, and the coaches went crazy because we had to organise two sessions per day to coach all of them.
“It was very, very difficult, so it’s very difficult for the coaches [now], very difficult for the players because sometimes you can be in the group B training and psychologically it is not very nice.
“Also it can affect the coaches, because sometimes you have to spend so much energy focusing the players, keeping them calm, motivating them, it’s so draining honestly. That takes energy from other duties that are important.”
Chelsea also signed Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Carney Chukwuemeka, Denis Zakaria and Gabriel Slonini in the summer before Potter joined. The former Brighton boss had the difficult decision to leave new signings Badiashile and Madueke out of the Champions League squad as only three new additions are allowed to be made, while his team selections have seen stars omitted.
Aubameyang has been left out of the squad that faced West Ham on Saturday and could be set to leave the club as he is linked with a move to Los Angeles FC, while Mason Mount was named on the bench at the London Stadium as five January signings started for Potter.
Blues icon Joe Cole reiterated Zola’s stance and explained how the questions posed to Potter regarding his squad Cole told Zola: “I can imagine. Every press conference he’s asked about two or three things about players he’s not starting – what about Aubameyang? What about Badiashile? What about this player?
“It must be so draining to be asked about the players you’re not playing instead of the lads who are actually going out there and doing a job for you.”
SOURCE: express.co.uk
