Chelsea owner Todd Boehly may not be too impressed with their transfer errors (Image: Getty)
For every one of the signings that can call a success during their £1.3billion spending spree since consortium took over, there may well be as many as three that have gone awry.
And while there are plans to make signings in the January transfer window – – ‘s long list of potential outgoings this month suggests they should exercise some caution.
Stars such as Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei and Renato Veiga are all likely to leave in the coming weeks, representing a huge loss on the £176million spent.
The Blues forked out £52m to sign Nkunku from RB Leipzig and at the time, the deal appeared to be a shrewd investment. However, the deal was negotiated by former director Christoper Vivell, who was quickly ousted and replaced by Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart as ‘s transfer supremos.
Nkunku’s serious injury at the start of the 2023-24 season delayed his debut and under Maresca, he is only regarded as a backup choice to Nicolas Jackson.
He has only played regularly in the UEFA Conference League and that is not regarded as a sustainable arrangement for the club or the player, given Nkunku earns around £300,000 a week.
The club will listen to offers in January should they arrive, with and PSG amongst the clubs linked with the France international. But they will surely lose a huge sum of money against what they have already invested.
The same applies to a number of players on the fringes at Stamford Bridge. Dewsbury-Hall was brought in from Leicester in a £30m deal back in July, but the midfielder, 26, is already heading for the exit after falling out of favour.
Chelsea striker Christopher Nkunku hardly used in the Premier League (Image: Getty)
may need to settle for a loan until the end of the season, with an option to buy included. West Ham and are admirers, but a permanent deal looks unlikely at this stage of the season.
Likewise, Veiga looks to be heading for a swift departure just seven months after arriving from FC Basel. The £12m defender has shown his versatility as a left-back and makeshift central midfielder, but with interest from Wolves, Napoli and Juventus, may cash in for the right price.
Disasi is a player whose stock could hardly be lower in west London after a nightmare display during the 2-0 defeat to Ipswich.
paid £38m to acquire the Frenchman from AS Monaco based on a strong recommendation from Stewart, but the centre-back’s decline has been alarming – and they would struggle to extract a fee for half of what they paid.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall looks set to leave Chelsea in January (Image: Getty)
One of the cornerstones of Boehly’s reign has been a thirst to recruit young talent, yet Casadei and Chukwuemeka are on their way out.
Casadei is negotiating a return to Italy for £12m with Lazio and Torino in the race, while Chukwuemeka has a £40m release clause and want it paid in full amid reported interest from AC Milan and Crystal Palace.
But no club in their right mind would pay out such a fee – not because the 21-year-old isn’t talented but that he has a grand total of 130 competitive minutes on the pitch this season. Transfermarkt rate Chukuwemeka at around £12.5m, which offers a far more realistic valuation for a player who cost £15m two years ago.
With huge losses expected due to some misguided moves in the transfer market, ‘s demanding owners will be keen to ensure their recruitment chiefs learn from their mistakes.