Former Premier League manager, Graeme Souness, has said that Chelsea have ‘gambled’ on three of their summer signings this summer.
He believes that Blues’ owner Todd Boehly’s approach in the transfer market is wrong.
The Blues have invested almost £400m on new players and breaking the British transfer record on Moises Caicedo.
But Souness, a former Liverpool midfielder and Newcastle United manager, said that the Blues have ‘gambled on potential’ by spending £115m on Caicedo and has similar feelings about their moves for Romeo Lavia and Nicolas Jackson.
“In the last six months, we’ve seen Chelsea twice break the British transfer record – first for Enzo Fernandez and now Moises Caicedo,” Souness told the Daily Mail.
“In both cases, they were gambles on potential. Gambles that these young men will reach the heights that the extraordinary fees warrant.
“I can’t help but think that when Todd Boehly arrived at Chelsea, all the club’s football knowledge walked out the door. He’s paid way over the odds by buying players on the basis that they were being linked with other big clubs.
“Now he’s paid a combined £173m for Caicedo, a 21-year-old midfielder with one year’s experience of the Premier League at Brighton, and Romeo Lavia, a 19-year-old with a year at Southampton, because they were both linked with Liverpool.
“The same question applies now as on the day when Boehly announced himself as Chelsea’s sporting director: Who’s he listening to?
“What we have been witnessing in the last few weeks is the inflated fees Chelsea are distorting the market with. Boehly has come with a great big cheque book, not understanding the valuation of players.”
