Chelsea’s 2021 Signings – Are They Living Up to Expectations?
Chelsea has managed to pick up some good points this year. The boys in blue have had an amazing season thus far. Already they’ve won seven out of the nine games played so far, with one draw and one loss. One of their biggest rivals, Liverpool, sit just behind them with twenty-one points – only one less than Chelsea. The boys will play Newcastle on the 30th in Premier League and Southampton on the 26th in the EFL cup.
The transfer window is closed until the 1st of January, and Chelsea managed to secure great signings over the summer. Chelsea will not let-up in transfer windows. It’s the Chelsea way. It’s because of their abundance of world class talent that people will flock to get Chelsea football tickets. Let’s look at those they signed this last summer and how they’re getting on, whether they’re living up to expectations.
Romelu Lukaku
Lukaku needs no introduction. He is a world-class player with immense skill, speed, and a habit of scoring beautiful goals. Although he was likely set to play against both Southampton and Newcastle, he will now be out thanks to an ankle injury he picked up against Malmö. His ankle injury is a sprain, but Chelsea’s medical team have reported he’ll be out for at least two-to-three weeks.
The £103M signing hasn’t exactly been proved a total success just yet. Lukaku has only scored in 3 out of the 8 games played so far this Premier League campaign, but he is making a big impact on the field, making some excellent passes and runs to put himself in the best position at the right time. Goals are a noisy stat, which make it difficult to accurately judge players, Lukaku is performing well and will no doubt start scoring again.
Saúl Ñíguez
Saúl Ñíguez arrived at the club on loan from Atlético Madrid, where he hasn’t had the chance to prove himself as a player worth having at a team like Chelsea. He has yet to break beyond minimal rotation minutes, only being used sparsely. Rueben Loftus-Cheek is ahead of Saúl in bench minutes too, which is a sure sign the Spaniard is not yet up to fitness or standard for Tuchel’s XI or for the fourteen players he can use during a game.
The season is still young, so he has time to find his feet, and he made a huge impact in the game against the Saints, where Chelsea won 3-1. Rumour has it there’s already a replacement for Saúl Ñíguez lined up for next summer…
Marcus Bettinelli
Marcus Bettinelli came to Chelsea as a free transfer from Fulham, and he hasn’t had the chance to prove his worth because he isn’t the squad’s 1st goalkeeper. Edouard Mendy is acting as the club’s 1st goalkeeper, and Bettinelli is all the way down in third, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t making an impact at the club. Bettinelli is working with H Hilario — the club’s goalkeeping coach — and, with the help of Petr Cech, he’s perfecting his skills, waiting to have the call for the role of the first-choice goalkeeper for Chelsea.
Chelsea will no doubt bring more players in when the next transfer window opens. Rumours are flying that Chelsea wants Raphinha, a Brazilian footballer with immense talent – but that will be months in the future. Keep your eyes peeled to see who moves into a blue shirt in the New Year.
