Chris Wright, Toe Poke writerSep 1, 2023, 09:01 AM ET
Chelsea’s transfer spending has gone beyond the €1 billion mark in just three windows since the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital takeover in May 2022.
Editor’s Picks
2 Related
The Blues’ latest signing — a €46 million deal for Manchester City forward Cole Palmer — saw the England under-21 midfielder become the 25th player to join the club for a transfer fee since the summer of 2022, when U.S. billionaire Boehly became co-controlling owner.
You can wonder how and why the club can spend this much, but you can’t question that it has happened. Here are the players they have brought in so far, by order of transfer fee size.
*All fees via Transfermarkt.
– Stream on ESPN+: LaLiga, Bundesliga, more (U.S.)
Total: €1.06bn ($1.15bn)
1. Enzo Fernández, CM (€121m)
Chelsea broke the British transfer record to sign Fernandez from Benfica in January 2023 shortly after the defensive midfielder had played an integral role in Argentina’s World Cup triumph.
2. Moisés Caicedo, CM (€116m)
The Blues broke the British transfer record for the second time in six months when they went big to land Caicedo from Premier League rivals Brighton in yet another eye-watering marquee deal.
3. Wesley Fofana, CB (€80.4m)
Belgian centre-back Fofana was signed from Leicester City in the summer of 2022. He has since seen his involvement curtailed by a sequence of injuries and has yet to return to the first-team fold since undergoing major knee surgery in July.
4. Mykhailo Mudryk, FW (€70m)
Mudryk has struggled to make much discernible impact since switching from Shakhtar Donetsk in January 2023 on a vast 8½-year contract. The Ukraine forward has completed a full 90 minutes in the Premier League on just one occasion and is still waiting to register his first goal.
5. Marc Cucurella, LB (€65.3m)
Signed by ex-Chelsea manager Graham Potter from his former club Brighton in August 2022, Cucurella has fallen out of favour in the aftermath of Potter’s abrupt departure and looks highly likely to move on himself in the near future.
6. Romeo Lavia, CM (€62.1m)
After coming to prominence as part of the Southampton side that was relegated from the Premier League in 2022-23, defensive midfielder Lavia joined Chelsea in a considerable transfer mere months later. The Belgium international is yet to make his debut for his new club.
7. Christopher Nkunku, FW (€60m)
One of RB Leipzig’s shining lights up front in recent seasons, Nkunku made the step to Chelsea for the 2023-24 season but unfortunately succumbed to a serious knee injury just weeks before the campaign began. As such, his Blues debut is likely to be on hold for a few months.
8. Raheem Sterling, FW (€56.2m)
After winning four Premier League titles in seven years at Manchester City, Sterling moved back home to London in July 2022. The experienced England forward has since scored eight goals in 31 games for Chelsea.
play
2:07
Have Chelsea overpaid for Cole Palmer?
Nedum Onuoha and Julien Laurens discuss Cole Palmer’s £45 million transfer from Man City to Chelsea.
9. Cole Palmer, FW (€46m)
Despite only having made a total of 19 senior appearances in all competitions during his nascent career to date, Palmer was snapped up by Chelsea on a seven-year contract at the very start of September 2023.
10. Axel Disasi, CB (€45m)
France international centre-back Disasi joined the club from Monaco in early August 2023 and has played in all of Chelsea’s first three Premier League fixtures of the new season, even opening his goal account in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool.
11. Benoît Badiashile, CB (€38m)
Badiashile moved from Monaco to Chelsea in January 2023 and made 11 appearances in his debut half-season. However, a lingering injury issue has prevented the France international from featuring so far this campaign.
12. Kalidou Koulibaly, CB (€38m)
Koulibaly made 23 Premier League appearances for Chelsea during the 2022-23 campaign before bringing his brief stint at Stamford Bridge to a hasty conclusion after just one season. He signed for Saudi Pro League club Al Hilal in June 2023 for €25m.
13. Nicolas Jackson, ST (€37m)
After scoring 12 goals in 26 games for Villarreal last season, Jackson moved to Chelsea in June 2023 on an eight-year deal. The Senegal striker has since scored one goal in three games, getting off the mark in the Blues’ 3-0 victory over Luton Town.
14. Noni Madueke, FW (€35m)
Arriving from PSV Eindhoven in January 2023, former Tottenham and Crystal Palace youth winger Madueke has since made 13 appearances for Chelsea in the Premier League, scoring one goal.
15. Malo Gusto, RB (€30m)
Signed from Lyon and then immediately loaned back to his former club for the 2022-23 season, Gusto has started this campaign as a first-team regular at Chelsea having featured in all three of the club’s Premier League games so far.
16. Lesley Ugochukwu, CM (€27m)
The 19-year-old midfielder joined Chelsea from Rennes in August 2023 and has since made two very brief substitute appearances, totalling eight minutes of game time.
play
0:52
Why Robert Sánchez is an ‘outstanding’ signing for Chelsea
Shaka Hislop analyses what Chelsea are getting from signing goalkeeper Robert Sánchez.
17. Robert Sánchez, GK (€23m)
Another acquisition from Brighton, Sánchez completed his move to Chelsea in early August 2023. The Spain goalkeeper has since been installed as the Blues’ first-choice stopper after the exits of Kepa and Edouard Mendy. He has played every minute of every game so far this campaign in both the Premier League and EFL Cup.
18. Carney Chukwuemeka, CM (€18m)
On the back of a breakthrough season at Aston Villa, Chukwuemeka officially became a Chelsea player in August 2022. The 19-year-old midfielder initially struggled for game time at Stamford Bridge but started the first two games of 2023-24 before limping out of the 3-1 defeat against West Ham, in which he scored.
19. Deivid Washington, FW (€16m)
Signed from Brazilian club Santos on a seven-year contract in August 2023, the 18-year-old forward has yet to play a minute of competitive first-team football for Chelsea.
20. Djordje Petrovic, GK (€16m)
Serbian goalkeeper Petrovic joined Chelsea from MLS outfit New England Revolution in August 2023. He is expected to serve as back-up to fellow new arrival Sanchez and as such is yet to make his competitive debut for the Blues.
21. Ângelo Gabriel, FW (€15m)
Chelsea completed the signing of Ângelo from Santos in July 2023 who became the youngest player in Brazilian Serie A history when he debuted for his former club at the tender age of 15 years, 308 days. The young winger has since been allowed to join Strasbourg on loan to gain first-team experience.
22. Andrey Santos, CM (€12.5m)
Another young Brazilian talent signed by Chelsea, this time from Vasco da Gama in January 2023. The 19-year-old central midfielder was allowed to join Nottingham Forest on a season-long loan.
23. David Datro Fofana, ST (€12m)
Signed by Chelsea from Norwegian club Molde in January 2023, Fofana has played just three times for the Blues since. He is on loan at Union Berlin until the end of the 2023-24 season.
24. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, ST (€12m)
Plucked from Barcelona in September 2022, Aubameyang returned to the Premier League with Chelsea after previously spending five fairly successful seasons at Arsenal. Unfortunately, the Gabon striker failed to ignite and mustered just one goal for the Blues before being allowed to join Marseille on loan for the 2023-24 campaign.
25. Gabriel Slonina, GK (€9.1m)
Teenage U.S. goalkeeper Slonina was brought in from Chicago Fire in August 2022 and immediately loaned back to the MLS side for the 2022-23 season. He is yet to play for the Blues having subsequently been loaned out to Belgian side Eupen for 2023-24.
