Graeme Souness claims it was “madness” for Chelsea to sell two strikers and not replace them in the summer transfer window.
Chelsea are eighth in the Premier League after their 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest on New Year’s Day, which leaves them seven points off the Champions League qualification spots.
Souness appeared to entirely forget about Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang as he slammed Blues owner Todd Boehly for sanctioning the departures of Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku without signing replacements.
“What have Chelsea talked about before coming here?” Souness asked on Sky Sports after the draw at the City Ground. “They know they’ll be aggressive, they got away with it in the first half but they couldn’t live with Forest when they got aggressive.
“When you’re in a war out there you’ve got to be a different animal, and they’re not capable of it. The top goalscorers [Kai Havertz and Raheem Sterling ] got four goals. Are they a better team without Timo Werner or [Romelu] Lukaku? They’re not scoring any goals.”
Graeme, did you see Werner and Lukaku play for Chelsea? They were God awful. Definitely a better team without them.
“If you’ve lost your two strikers and you go out and spend £170m on defenders, what’s the thinking?”
They also lost two centre-backs, Graeme. That was the thinking…
“Surely a priority when you let Timo Werner and Lukaku go is to get a striker. I think Potter needs time. This is not a squad that is equipped to go and win big games of football. Their goal difference is plus two.”
“He [Havertz] is not going to get enough goals. It is madness to sell Timo Werner, Lukaku and then spend £170m on three defenders. Surely you must think, football has never changed.”
No, it would be madness to lose two centre-backs and not sign any replacements. And Sterling and Aubameyang, average though they’ve been, are direct replacements for Lukaku and Werner.
“The hardest thing to find is goalscorers. Spending £170m on defenders, if you can afford it go out and do it, but the priority for me is you have sold two strikers. They weren’t the answer – not long term or short term – but were better than what they have got right now. You can’t tell me they are better off with the firepower they have got now.”
We can tell you that. They are better off.
READ MORE: Chelsea and Potter have problems far beyond the brilliance of Enzo Fernandez or Mykhailo Mudryk
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