Chelsea have signed Benfica midfielder Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for £106.8 million, a British transfer fee record.
The worrying thing is, it looks like they’re just getting going. Fernandez is Chelsea’s eighth signing of the January transfer window, bringing their spend up to £323 million.
Since Todd Boehly’s takeover in May 2022, Chelsea have signed 15 players for a combined £600 million.
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Enzo Fernandez joined Benfica last summer for £10 million. Similarly, Mykhailo Mudryk was on the market for £40 million last summer. He joined Chelsea for £88.5 million.
Chelsea are operating in the same market as everyone else. For a Premier League club, the fee for a player in his early 20s who’s played one good season is £60 million, minimum.
Arsenal found this out when they tried to sign Moises Caiceido from Brighton. He was signed by Brighton two years ago for £4 million. With 26 Premier League appearances to his name, he could now fetch anywhere from £70-£100 million when he is sold.
However, it seems worse when Chelsea do this because they are the original mega-rich team. They started the process of ridiculous inflation all those years ago. Now, under new ownership, they’re more excessive than ever.
They appear to have a plan, in that their manager is Graham Potter, a developmental coach. Where do all these new players fit into the grand plan? It’s anybody’s guess – including Potter.
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Chelsea’s January purchases in full:
Benoit Badiashile – Monaco, £35m
David Datro Fofana – Molde, undisclosed (reported £10m deal)
Andrey Santos – Vasco da Gama, undisclosed (reported £18m deal)
Joao Felix – Atletico Madrid, £9.7m loan
Mykhailo Mudryk – Shakhtar Donetsk, £88.5m
Noni Madueke – PSV Eindhoven, £29m
Malo Gusto – Lyon, £26.3m
Enzo Fernandez – Benfica, £106.8m
