Sometimes, it appears as though Chelsea don’t have a plan when it comes to transfers. Under the ownership of BlueCo, the newly crowned Club World Cup champions have stockpiled talent.
By Sam McGuire
It’s why the likes of Lesley Ugochukwu (signed in 2023 for £23million), Axel Disasi (signed in 2023 for almost £40million), Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall (signed in 2024 for £30million), Renato Veiga (signed in 2024 for £12million) and Nicolas Jackson (signed in 2023 for £32million) could all be on the move this summer.
The Blues will make profit on some players but losses on others. The scattergun approach in the transfer market delivers successes and flops. It also forces young academy starlets to move elsewhere. That’s why there’s uncertainty over the futures of Tyrique George and Josh Acheampong this summer following the arrivals of Jamie Gittens and Jorrel Hato. Enzo Maresca is still looking to add to his ranks too. A move for Alejandro Garnacho would surely spell the end of George at Stamford Bridge.
Eyebrows were raised earlier in the summer when Chelsea moved for João Pedro just weeks after securing the signature of highly-rated forward Liam Delap. Talk recently has centred around their pursuit of Xavi Simons.
Why are the Blues blooding to add him to their squad when his position is currently occupied by their best player, Cole Palmer. In the eyes of many, it isn’t the smartest use of resources.
This time, however, it makes an awful lot of sense. As brilliant as Palmer is, he’s still a young player, just 23, and his minutes need to be managed carefully.
Look at what happened to him last season.
The former Manchester City man ended the campaign with 15 goals and eight assists. He claimed a FotMob average rating of 7.64, a figure that only Mohamed Salah could better in the Premier League.
On the surface, Palmer had another successful season for the Blues. However, their early season title push came to an abrupt halt around December and this coincided with the England international struggling.
In the opening 15 games of the season, Palmer scored 11 goals and helped Chelsea to nine wins. The Blues also registered four draws on their way to averaging 2.06 points per game. Over the course of an entire campaign, that would equate to 78 points. For context, Arsenal finished second with 74 points.
In the remaining 22 matches that Palmer appeared in, he scored just four goals as Chelsea claimed 11 wins and five draws for a points per game average of 1.72. That is a 65 point season – the same total that seventh placed Nottingham Forest finished with.
When Palmer was on it, Chelsea had the form of a team worthy of a runners-up position. When he struggled, the Blues were a team posting numbers that would’ve had them battling for a Europa League Conference position.
Dig a little deeper and his numbers take a bit of a hit again. For example, he netted four goals in a single game against Brighton and registered three assists against Wolves. Remove those games and 11 goals and five assists in 35 appearances isn’t as impressive, is it?
While Chelsea possess a number of players, they don’t own anybody quite like Palmer and this is what makes Simons such an important purchase.
The 22-year-old has the skillset and playing profile to line-up alongside the new Chelsea No. 10 as well as in place of him. He can alleviate the burden on the left-footed maestro and this makes Maresca’s side even more formidable. They’d no longer be, in the nicest possible way, Palmer FC.
Simons can play anywhere across the attack, including as a false-nine if required, as well as playing on either flank. His strengths differ from role to role but he makes things happen. And Chelsea need more players to make things happen.
Last season, in a dysfunctional RB Leipzig team, Simons claimed 10 goals and seven assists. He finished with an average FotMob rating of 7.64 in the Bundesliga, just behind the £100m-rated Florian Wirtz.
In the grand scheme of things, £60million for Simons, in the current market, could prove to be the signing of the summer, not just for Chelsea but across the Premier League. He could be an invaluable addition to their ranks, purely because it frees up Palmer. And this makes Chelsea even more dangerous as a team.
He’s a genuine threat too. Last season, he had an Expected Goals haul of 5.11 but an xG on Target total of 8.91, proving to be a good finisher. He also claimed an Expected Assists total of almost six. And this was while he was playing for a struggling team. Stick him in an XI with pace and quality and he could be a skeleton key, along with Palmer.
Instead of a title charge fizzling out in December, Chelsea’s pursuit of the title could be prolonged with the arrival of Simons. The signing of the Dutchman isn’t the Blues being greedy. It is an intelligent piece of business.
(Cover image from IMAGO)
You can track all the summer moves via the FotMob Transfer Centre. Download the free app here.