Gary Neville not ‘wholly convinced’ by Chelsea transfer policy as Jamie Carragher says goalkeeper still needed

Gary Neville is not ‘totally convinced’ with Chelsea’s transfer strategy as the club edge closer an eye-watering £1bn outlay since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took over in 2022. 

The Blues broke the British transfer record last week, signing Moises Caicedo for £115m from Brighton, while also securing Romeo Lavia from Southampton for £58m.

Chelsea have been the biggest spenders for the third successive transfer window, also recruiting Christopher Nkunku for £53m, Nicolas Jackson for £32m, Axel Disasi for £38.7m and Robert Sanchez for £25m, taking their total expenditure since May last year up to £928m.

Neville told Monday Night Football: “It is a large investment and I still feel like Mauricio Pochettino will want better players in certain areas, particularly forward areas.

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“You can play well but if you lack punch at the top end of the pitch and are a little bit rash at the back end of the pitch with young centre-backs then for all your good football you are not going to see the fruit of that labour.

“Big signings in terms of cash [but] I look at those names and there’s potential there, potential that may become world-class players.

“But at the moment there is an element of risk, an element of looking into the future and seeing which of those if any become really top players.

“They have basically invested in potential in the hope that their recruitment team know exactly what they are doing.

“I am not wholly convinced with the strategy, the eight-year contracts, locking them down, whether those players will deliver what Chelsea need for that investment.”

Carragher: Chelsea still need a goalkeeper

Mauricio Pochettino’s side have also agreed a £14m deal for New England Revolution goalkeeper Djordje Petrovic.

Despite the overhaul, Chelsea drew 1-1 to Liverpool on the opening weekend of the new Premier League season, and were subsequently beaten 3-1 by 10-man West Ham at the London Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Jamie Carragher added: “What you would say about Chelsea is that they have actually impressed in these two games. I thought they played well against Liverpool, I thought they played well against West Ham.

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“But when you spend that amount of money it does feel strange when not many of us are putting Chelsea in the top four. Now that doesn’t mean it won’t happen. But not many are saying that squad, with that amount of money spent on it, will finish top four.

“That does not seem right to me for that amount of money.

“I do feel, even though I have been really impressed with them in those two games, if you asked me how many players they need to challenge Manchester City – and I am not talking about winning the league – I still think they need a goalkeeper even though they have just signed Robert Sanchez. I still think they need a top centre-half because Thiago Silva is 38.

“I don’t think there is an out-and-out goalscorer. Your goalscorer does not have to be your centre-forward because Liverpool’s is Mohamed Salah and he plays on the right wing. So it is not a dig at Nicolas Jackson, he has only just come to the club and I have been impressed with him.

“But if you look at those important positions it still feels like four players need to come in just to challenge Manchester City and that does not feel right given the amount of money they have spent.”

Injuries catching up with Chelsea

Chelsea midfielder Carney Chukwuemeka has undergone surgery on a left knee injury he sustained in the loss at West Ham in the Premier League.

The club did not put a timeframe on the likely return of the 19-year-old, who has just broken into the team a year after joining from Aston Villa. Sky Sports News expects him to be out for six weeks.

Chukwuemeka started against Liverpool on the opening weekend and scored a goal – his first for Chelsea – in the first half at West Ham before going off injured in the 45th minute.

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