Since the summer of 2003, Chelsea have spent a staggering €3.86bn (£3bn) on transfers.
According to Football Transfers, this expenditure is the highest of any club across Europe. It's no surprise, given Roman Abramovich and Todd Boehly’s penchant for splashing cash.
This money has been used to sign players who have gone on to win major trophies and become established Chelsea icons in the process.
Eden Hazard immediately springs to mind. The Belgian arrived in 2012 and helped the Blues win two Premier League titles and two Europa League crowns.
Hazard-Chelsea-Premier-League
Cesc Fabregas and N’Golo Kanté are two midfielders who enjoyed plenty of success at Stamford Bridge, while defenders such as Ricardo Carvalho, Cesar Azpilicueta and Ashley Cole turned into some of their much-loved signings.
Notice, however, that there is a lack of strikers mentioned. Despite having an almost unlimited amount of cash to spend, the club have very rarely signed a centre-forward who has enjoyed much success in London.
Didier Drogba and Diego Costa are two who come to mind. But, players such as Fernando Torres, Andriy Shevchenko and Álvaro Morata struggled to win over the Stamford Bridge crowd due to their consistent finishing.
Could Liam Delap break the mould? Chelsea’s new number nine looks ready to become Enzo Maresca’s main man next season.
Why Chelsea signed Liam Delap
Following Ipswich Town’s relegation at the end of last term, a clause in Delap’s contract stated that he could move for a fee of just £30m.
"It's going to be an incredible place for me to develop, and I hope to achieve amazing things here and help the club win more trophies." Said the youngster following his move to London.
Ipswich Town's Liam Delap reacts
It comes after a campaign where he found the back of the net 12 times in 37 games for the Tractor Boys in the top flight.
While he has an undisputable eye for goal, the Englishman shone across other metrics in the Premier League this season.
Indeed, when compared to his positional peers, Delap ranked in the top 12% for successful take-ons (1.39) per 90, along with ranking in the top 23% for fouls drawn (1.77) and in the top 14% for penalty kicks won per 90 in the top flight last season, showcasing that he's difficult to deal with for defenders.
Is the manager looking at bringing in another talented youngster this summer, however?
Chelsea’s search for a striker
Eintracht Frankfurt’s Hugo Ekitike is a player who has been routinely linked with a move to the club over the past few weeks.
It is a deal that Maresca looks keen on getting over the line, but there is another striker whom the Italian might make a move for.
According to Caught Offside, the Blues are now ready to step up their interest in FC Porto forward Samu Aghehowa this summer.
FC Porto's Samu Omorodion celebrates scoring their first goal
The eagle-eyed Chelsea fans will remember that the club agreed a fee with Atletico Madrid last summer to sign the youngster in 2024, but the move collapsed at the last minute.
Might it be the second time lucky for the Blues this year? Porto are in no rush to sell one of their prized assets, and he has a release clause of €100m (£85m) inserted into his contract.
With Champions League football secured for next season, Maresca has money to spend in a bid to bolster his attacking options.
Samu 2024-25 stats (timeless)
Signing Aghehowa this summer may break the bank, but in the long term, it would be worth it. Given his form throughout the 2024/25 campaign, the Spaniard would be an even better signing than Delap, that’s for sure.
Why Chelsea should sign Samu
In terms of debut seasons, Samu's was incredible. Across 42 matches for the Portuguese side, the 21-year-old scored an impressive tally of 25 goals while grabbing three assists.
It may not have been enough to fire the club to a league title, but he has certainly put himself in the shop window with this current form.
Comparing Aghehowa vs Delap (Domestic stats only)
Metric
Goals
Assists
Shots per game
Key passes per game
Goal conversion percentage
Scoring frequency
The Spaniard ended up registering a goal involvement every 1.5 games for Porto last season. Compared to Delap, who recorded a contribution every 2.8 games, it is clear who is the more effective frontman.
When compared to Delap domestically, the Porto striker further establishes his dominance across several key statistics.
Not only did the Spaniard register more goals and assists (22 vs 14) than Delap last season in their respective leagues, but he also recorded more shots per 90 (1.15 vs 1.01), won a higher percentage of aerial duels (52.1% vs 42.6%) per 90 minutes and took more touches in the attacking penalty area (137 vs 92) throughout the whole of last season.
He may cost more than Delap, but given the evidence, the 21-year-old is already better than his English counterpart and could be an ideal long-term solution to this problematic area for Chelsea.
Amid his excellent start to the season with his new club, football talent scout Jacek Kulig hailed the striker, saying: "Samu is maintaining his fantastic form for FC Porto. 20 years of age. Pace, physicality, aerial ability, bravery, shot power... Such a complete profile for a striker of his age. A true monster in the making."
Lazio's Adam Marusic in action with FC Porto's Samu Omorodion
High praise indeed for the youngster and he has a bright future ahead in the game. A move to the Blues would allow the player to continue his development while playing Champions League football.
If Maresca can move on Nicolas Jackson this summer, having options such as Delap and Aghehowa would certainly constitute an upgrade by the Italian, no doubt about that.
Much will depend on how much the club are willing to spend on another centre-forward, but as mentioned, this area hasn’t exactly been a success for the Blues over the years. Might things change this summer? Only time will tell.
ipswich-town-liam-delap-premier-league Related
Chelsea eyeing £70m Ekitike alternative who's a bigger talent than Delap
Despite having already signed Liam Delap for £30m, Chelsea are interested in another "superb" striker to bolster Enzo Maresca's attacking options.