"Throwing a bunch of strangers together" – Jamie Redknapp questions Chelsea's recruitment after 2-0 loss to Manchester City
Former Liverpool star Jamie Redknapp has hit out at Chelsea's transfer strategy after a recent 2-0 Premier League defeat to Manchester City.
Earlier on Sunday (August 18), the Stamford Bridge outfit opened their 2024-25 league campaign with a home defeat. Erling Haaland scored from an assist from Bernardo Silva in the 18th minute before Mateo Kovacic found the back of the net with a solo goal in the 84th minute.
After the end of the clash, Redknapp took aim at Chelsea's recruitment for hampering their squad chemistry. The 51-year-old told Sky Sports:
"This Chelsea team, it is like throwing a bunch of strangers together and it is very difficult to do that. Bringing on players off the bench, trying to make things happen... it is going to take a lot of time for [Blues head coach Enzo] Maresca to get them playing how he wants and find out what his best XI is."
Redknapp, who also represented Tottenham Hotspur, concluded:
"They have spent £1.2 billion [since the summer of 2022] and they still have not got a top striker and I am not even sure they have got a good goalkeeper. So, for all the money they have spent, they have not really filled probably two of the most important areas."
So far this summer, the Blues have added nine players to their squad. They snapped up striker Marc Guiu for £5 million from Barcelona and goalkeeper Filip Jorgensen for £21 million from Villarreal last month.
Enzo Maresca hails Chelsea's performance in latest 2-0 league loss to Manchester City
At a press conference, Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca was asked to opine on his team's recent display. He replied (h/t football.london):
"We were against the champions today. We will continue and win games. [Manchester City] are a master of keeping hold of the ball. The performance was there and that is the main thing. You can see how they manage the ball."
Maresca, who replaced former manager Mauricio Pochettino, added:
"I think the performance was good. The performance was there. We competed for large parts of the game. In some moments, we were even better. We created chances. The big difference is inside the box."
Chelsea, who won one of their six pre-season matches, relished 48% possession and registered 10 shots compared to the visitors' 11 shots.
Maresca's side will next face Swiss club Servette in their UEFA Europa Conference League play-off first leg contest on Thursday (August 22).