"They haven't invested well" - Former Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger claims he's 'worried' about Chelsea after UCL elimination
Former Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has said that he's worried about Chelsea due to their poor investment in the transfer market.
The Blues are 11th in the Premier League, with 39 points from 31 games. Real Madrid's 2-0 quarterfinal second leg win on Tuesday (April 18) meant that the Blues exited the UEFA Champions League quarterfinals for the second straight year against the same opposition. They had lost the first leg at the Santiago Bernabeu by the same scoreline a week earlier.
Chelsea have spent £558 million in transfer fees in consecutive transfer windows under co-owner Todd Boehly. Mykhaylo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez, Noni Madueke and Kalidou Koulibaly are just a handful of high-profile signings they have made during this period.
Apart from arguably Raheem Sterling and to some extent Fernandez, none of the new recruits have hit the ground running. The English winger is the club's second-highest goalscorer this season, but his tally of seven goals from 32 games across competitions is grossly underwhelming.
To add to the instability under the new ownership, Graham Potter was sacked earlier this month within seven months of replacing Thomas Tuchel in September. Caretaker manager Frank Lampard has lost all his first four games in charge across competitions.
Speaking about the West London giants' struggles, Wenger told beIN Sport (h/t Mirror):
"I'm worried for Chelsea. If you don't invest the £500m (well), then you have a problem. They haven't invested well. They've same weaknesses as before. They don't score enough goals. They've a lot of possession but not enough conversion."
The Blues have scored just 30 goals in the league this season - the lowest in the top 12.
Frank Lampard vows Chelsea 'will be back' after Real Madrid humbling
Chelsea's entire season was riding on their return leg against Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge.
The team showed promise in the first hour, but true to their form this season, failed to take their chances. Los Blancos scored twice in the second half, quashing the two-time winners' faint chances of a comeback.
After the game, Lampard said (h/t ESPN):
"The reality is this club is going to be back. It'll take work. It'll take maybe a bit of process. I think the fans appreciated the performance today, and maybe this season they have had moments where they haven't felt like that. We have to latch onto that, get results until the end of the season and then go again next year."
The Blues have seven games left in the season but nothing much to play for. They trail seventh-placed Brighton & Hove Albion, who have two games in hand, by ten points. Their chances of playing in Europe next season are almost non-existent.