Very few of Todd Boehly’s big-money signings in his time as Chelsea chairman could be described as a success.
Raheem Sterling has failed to live up to his previous performances with Liverpool and Manchester City, managing justfour goalsand two assists in the Premier League, while Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has been something of a disaster, with one top-flight goal to his name in Chelsea colours.
The likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Noni Madueke have struggled for game time since their arrivals in January, with the club-record addition of Enzo Fernandez one of few players to enjoy a consistent run of games in the first team so far this campaign.
While there was a bright start to life at Stamford Bridge for the World Cup winner under Graham Potter, his form under Frank Lampard has been dreadful thus far, and the English manager must consider dropping him for the final four games.
Why did Chelsea sign Fernandez?
It is easy to understand why Boehly was willing to pay the release clause in Fernandez’s contract at Benfica, considering the surrounding hype following his inspired performances for club and country in the first half of the campaign.
The 22-year-oldnotchedone goal and five assists in 17 league appearances for Benfica before establishing himself as a regular in Lionel Scaloni’s side, as Argentina won the title in Qatar.
Despite him only joining Benfica the previous summer, Boehly was clearly to do whatever it took to bring the midfield maestro to Stamford Bridge and paid an eye-watering£106.8mto sign the “game-changer“, in the words of journalist Roy Nemer, in the winter transfer window.
How has Fernandez played at Chelsea?
There was a bright start from Fernandez at Chelsea and it seemed as if Boehly had finally got a transfer right, even if it meant paying a huge fee to sign an inexperienced player, as the young midfieldercontributed assistsagainst West Ham and Leicester.
However, much like the rest of the squad, Fernandez’s form has collapsed since Potter’s departure, with the former River Plate man failing to register above a 7/10 rating fromWhoScoredin any of the last seven games.
Wesley Sneijder was furious with the Argentine’s role in Real Madrid’s goal in the recent 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid when speaking on RTL7 and suggested that Boehly was right to speak to the players following the loss.
He said (viaThe Sun): “If you have been brought in as a player for €100million then you can at least expect that he will run his lungs out, right?
“But he walked! He loses the ball himself, then he has a moment of mourning. You see Enzo, a €100m purchase, trudge a bit while Gallagher runs past him.
As an owner, you have paid so much money, so you are angry and you walk in.
“If you are the owner watching in the stands and you see that Gallagher is making such a sprint and your €100m [sic] player is not, then yes, I would also get angry!”
His woeful display in the 3-1 defeat against Arsenal last time out, which saw him inexplicably step over the ball for Martin Odegaard’s opener and earn a 6.05 rating fromWhoScored, should surely be the final straw for Lampard as he looks to arrest Chelsea’s losing streak this weekend.