Chelsea have notoriously spent big since the arrival of Todd Boehly in 2022, with the American owner splashing over £1.2b on new additions in the near three years he's spent at the helm.
Various areas of the squad have been subject to huge change, aiming to provide Enzo Maresca with the goods to help the Blues mount a push for a place in the top four of the Premier League.
Since his arrival, the Italian has bolstered his side with the additions of multiple players, most notably Pedro Neto, who cost the hierarchy £54m from fellow top-flight side Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Chelsea's Pedro Neto
The Portuguese star has already registered 11 combined goals and assists across all competitions, helping the club edge one step closer to a place in the quarter-finals of the Europa Conference League.
However, the move to land the 24-year-old in the summer meant numerous departures for multiple attacking players, with various options leaving Stamford Bridge on loan.
The form of Chelsea attackers out on loan in 2024/25
Armando Broja came through the ranks at Chelsea, eventually making the leap to the first team back in the 2022/23 season, but an ACL injury would halt his progress in West London.
He’s since fallen down the order, subsequently joining Everton on loan for the current campaign, but his injury issues have restricted him to just six appearances across all competitions to date - failing to find the back of the net too.
Armando Broja for Everton
Raheem Sterling is another big-money signing made by Boehly, joining for £50m from Manchester City in the American’s first window in charge of the club.
However, the move hasn’t gone to plan, registering just 19 goals in 81 appearances, with Maresca deciding to loan the Englishman out to Arsenal for 2024/25, also struggling to make an impact, scoring just once in 22 outings.
The aforementioned pair aren’t the only players currently out on loan away from the Bridge, with one other former first-team member enjoying his spell away from the club.
The Chelsea dud who has cost £680k-per-game
There’s no denying that huge money has been wasted on players not up to the level required in 2025, as seen by Sterling’s addition, which is likely to see them lose a fortune on their investment.
However, the mammoth investments were apparent even before Boehly’s arrival, with the previous ownership forking out £72m for the signature of goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga in the summer of 2018.
kepa-arrizabalaga
Such a fee was a world record for a goalkeeper, undoubtedly putting huge pressure on the Spaniard to perform and demonstrate why such a hefty fee was splashed out for his services.
Despite making 163 appearances during a five-year spell, his time in London was as glittered with penalty shootout errors, refusing to be withdrawn against Manchester City before missing the decisive spot kick against Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.
He’s since endured a loan spell at Real Madrid as a backup goalkeeper before joining up with Bournemouth on a temporary basis for the current campaign - keeping five clean sheets under boss Andoni Iraola.
It was reported in recent days that the 30-year-old wants to make his move permanent this summer, with Maresca desperately needing to cash in on the ‘keeper who has previously been dubbed “shocking” by creator Alex Goldberg.
Liverpool's Mohamed Salah remonstrates to AFC Bournemouth's Kepa Arrizabalaga after scoring their first goal
He earns £150k-per-week on his current deal at the Bridge, which expires in the summer of 2026, earning a total of £7.8m per season - taking his total pay to £39m, a staggering amount given his lack of positive impact.
When combining his £72m fee with his total wages, he’s cost £111m, which works out to £680k per appearance, with the Blues needing to prevent losing any further funds by getting rid of him in the coming months.
|Chelsea's highest-paid players in 2024/25|
|Rank|Player|Weekly wage|Yearly wage|
|---|
|1|Reece James|£250,000|£13,000,000|
|2|Wesley Fofana|£200,000|£10,400,000|
|=|Ben Chilwell|£200,000|£10,400,000|
|4|Christopher Nkunku|£195,000|£10,140,000|
|5|Enzo Fernández|£180,000|£9,360,000|
|6|Marc Cucurella|£175,000|£9,100,000|
|7|Pedro Neto|£160,000|£8,320,000|
|8|Moises Caicedo|£150,000|£7,800,000|
|=|Kepa Arrizabalaga|£150,000|£7,800,000|
|9|Cole Palmer|£130,000|£6,760,000|
|Stats via Capology|
There’s no denying that they will lose a huge amount of money on their investment, but ultimately, the time has come to finally get rid of the goalkeeper on a permanent basis.
His impressive form on the South Coast could allow the Cherries to decide to buy Arrizabalaga permanently, putting an end to his disastrous spell in the capital.
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