Under Todd Boehly's mandate in west London, Chelsea has invested large sums in high-profile signings to be competitive in the long term rather than immediately.

The strategy paid off in 2024-25, when Enzo Maresca won the Conference League and the Club World Cup, in addition to qualifying for the Champions League. However, this season the team has lost momentum.

They are in the FA Cup semifinals, where they will face Leeds at Wembley, but Liam Rosenior has already lost in the Carabao Cup semifinals and in the Champions League quarterfinals, which puts his future in doubt after only 21 matches in charge.

Former Chelsea captain Marcel Desailly, who played at Stamford Bridge between 1998 and 2004, believes the club must change its transfer strategy. The French World Cup winner responded as follows when asked how and in what aspects Chelsea must improve: "More than the goalkeeper, first of all, they have to sign, if it is a new one, an experienced goalkeeper who transmits confidence; we need confidence.

They also need an experienced center back and an experienced striker to help Enzo Fernandez, who, for me, is the only one with experience in the squad. Reece James is fine, but he is inconsistent.

Last season was incredible, but they need four experienced players to balance the talented youngsters like Neto or Estevao. It doesn't matter if Palmer stays or leaves; the important thing is that there are no doubts. Who surrounds them? They are not natural leaders.

In modern football, you need five or six years of Premier League experience; they don't have that yet. Caicedo shone last season, but now he declines because Fernandez is not by his side. James sometimes drops back to the middle, but then moves forward, so Caicedo is left alone.

You have to surround each line with experienced players to give the coach more tactical options; right now, he only has youngsters."

Desailly, on Chelsea's review of their squad building, stated: "Four years ago, the plan was to sign youngsters so that Pochettino could develop them, albeit at a high cost. They don't care because their value will grow with success.

Last season confirmed that they were not on the wrong track, despite those who called them crazy for paying so much. However, the problems arrived. Now they have made a mistake by believing they could maintain that level of young talent. It's not enough."

Chelsea, which has invested billions of pounds in the current squad — and in some players already transferred — returns to action on Saturday against Manchester United. Winning is key for Rosenior to qualify for the Champions League, silence his detractors, and be able to sign more in the summer of 2026.

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