Chelsea transfer policy left one glaring hole and it is clear to see every week

Chelsea’s transfer policy proves they are preparing for the future, but there’s just one issue.

They appear to be forgetting about the here and now.

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The Blues boast the youngest average age of players used in the Premier League this term at 23.5, a full year younger than Sunderland who have the second-youngest squad (24.7).

It’s a statistic that comes as no surprise given the oldest player Chelsea have signed since the 2023/24 season was Tosin Adarabioyo, who was aged 26 when he moved.

The trend continued last summer as Chelsea’s nine permanent arrivals were all aged 23 or under, with Joao Pedro the marquee signing having joined in a £60million deal.

Even though Chelsea‘s baby-faced stars possess plenty of silky skills, especially teenage wizard Estevao, there is precious little they can do when facing physically imposing rivals.

It was no more evident than last Sunday as both of Arsenal’s goals in the 2-1 win over Chelsea came via set pieces.

Chelsea’s inexperience has also shown up in their alarming disciplinary record, with the squad collectively picking up nine red cards this term.

Speaking on the latest episode of Inside Chelsea, broadcaster Matisse Armani bemoaned what he described as a ‘young’ and ‘fragile’ team as the lack of physically developed players proves detrimental.

Men against boys?

“If you’ve got an equilibrium going on in that squad where people are accountable to others in their squad because there is that natural hierarchy that you can’t necessarily fake it until you make it.” Armani said.

“That hierarchy comes from players that have already had success, players that have been there and done it, players that have earned respect just naturally through their actions, their consistency on the training field like (Cesar) Azpilicueta always tucking in his shirt, those little things. We don’t have enough of that in the team.

“Not only does it show in their discipline and the amount of red cards we pick up, it also shows on the set pieces.

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How old every permanent Chelsea signing was when they joined the club (2023/24 onwards)

Moises Caicedo – 21 years old

Romeo Lavia – 19 years old

Christopher Nkunku – 25 years old

Cole Palmer – 21 years old

Axel Disasi – 25 years old

Nicolas Jackson – 22 years old

Lesley Ugochukwu – 19 years old

Robert Sanchez – 25 years old

Djordje Petrovic – 23 years old

Angelo – 18 years old

Diego Moreira – 18 years old

Pedro Neto – 24 years old

Joao Felix – 24 years old

Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 25 years old

Tosin Adarabioyo – 26 years old

Filip Jorgensen – 22 years old

Omari Kellyman – 18 years old

Mike Penders – 19 years old

Aaron Anselmino – 19 years old

Mathis Amougou – 19 years old

Renato Veiga – 20 years old

Caleb Wiley – 19 years old

Marc Guiu – 18 years old

Joao Pedro – 23 years old

Jamie Gittens – 20 years old

Alejandro Garnacho – 21 years old

Estevao – 18 years old

Jorrel Hato – 19 years old

Liam Delap – 22 years old

Dario Essugo – 20 years old

Mamadou Sarr – 19 years old

Kendry Paez – 18 years old

“I don’t know what young, fragile team that is still growing, developing and filling out, is meant to come up against grown men on a weekly basis that are five, six, seven, eight years older than you and compete.

“They’re not competing physically. They’re not competing mentally. When the manager is saying you’ve missed your assignment, you haven’t marked who you should have marked.

“Look at the players coming off the bench in those latter stages against Burnley. You’re talking about a 20-year-old (Mamadou) Sarr, you’re talking about a 19-year-old (Jorrel) Hato, you’re talking about a 19-year-old (Josh) Acheampong.

“Are we fully expecting these guys, in their teenage years, to compete with grown men that are in their 30s? It doesn’t really make any sense.”

Blues back line are ‘nice’ – that’s not good

Armani was especially critical of Chelsea’s centre-backs, who look ‘very fragile’.

Trevoh Chalobah and Mamadou Sarr lined up in the heart of defence against Arsenal, but Armani felt they don’t have that nastiness about them compared to some of their predecessors.

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“I’ve always said they’re B-side centre-backs and they’re nice people to come up against, they’re good dudes,” Armani said.

“They’re not (Antonio) Rudiger, they don’t have the ‘housery’, they don’t have the bit between them to say, ‘Right, I don’t really want to go up against him today, he’s a nasty guy.’

“For me, it compounds across the whole squad. Look at the midfield, is there anyone over six-foot-one, six-foot-two in there like Nemanja Matic?

“We don’t have the profiles across the pitch to deal with these situations.”

Chelsea’s lack of experience is not a fresh issue either, with ex-Blues player Jason Cundy banging the drum on the matter for two years.

With the loss to Arsenal highlighting the negative aspects of Chelsea’s youth-focused transfer approach yet again, Cundy conceded he’s grown ‘tired’ of discussing the matter.

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Will the real Blues leader please stand up?

“Come on, Trevoh Chalobah, experienced boy now,” Cundy said.

“[Marc] Cucurella, experienced boy, won the Euros. Enzo Fernandez, he’s won a World Cup. Moises Caicedo, Reece James… Come on.

“There has to be a point in this Chelsea squad where we go, ‘Right, when are we going to learn?’ I don’t think we’re too far away from it.

“I genuinely believe we’re reaching a fork in the road about are we going to learn from our mistakes, because similar mistakes are being made every single week.

“You’re never going to grow unless you learn from your mistakes.”

Cundy added: “We’ve got to learn, we’ve got to be a little more streetwise.

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“We’re just a little bit soft and I’m getting tired of using this, ‘We’re the youngest squad.’

“Yeah, we are, and these red cards, there’s a reason behind that.

“But I don’t want to be sitting here this time next year having the same conversation about this.

“That cannot continue, and I’m angry about that because these are things that can be changed and it comes from within.”

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