“…What Has Happened At Chelsea Football Club…” Ex-Chelsea Goalkeeper Asmir Begovic On £1 billion ($1.2bn) The Blues Have Spent On New Signings 

Since Todd Boehly completed the club’s acquisition in the summer of 2022, Chelsea have made significant investments. Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana, Mykhailo Mudryk, Enzo Fernandez, Malo Gusto, Christopher Nkunku, Axel Disasi, Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia, and Cole Palmer are just a few of the players who have been acquired with eye-watering prices.

Begovic spoke about business in west London on The Byline program.: “If you’re spending £115m on Caicedo, surely you spend £120m on Declan Rice? I don’t know Declan personally, I’m not saying he doesn’t want to play for Arsenal, but hand on heart I think he’d have wanted to go to Chelsea.”

“You look at some of these players and think, ‘How is Declan Rice going somewhere else?’ Players like this, they would go to Chelsea in the past; players in their prime, and Declan Rice is in his prime.”

“I watch football like a mad man and I’m not familiar with half these players! For me it’s odd, the whole thing is very odd. I don’t see the construction of the team, this whole rebuilding transition phase is a bit of an excuse to me.”

“I’m not saying I don’t like Enzo Fernandez, but if we’re going to spend £230m on him and Caicedo then I’d prefer Declan Rice over any of those players if I can get him. Get the best players in through the door please.”

He added: “Honestly, I mean in the last 12 months… what has happened at Chelsea football club? It just beggars belief. I mean the squad of players at Mauricio Pochettino’s disposal, the amount of money spent is 12th in the league – it’s mid-table! It is literally mid-table.”

“If they were any higher you would be working miracles. You have a bit of [bad] luck with Christopher Nkunku, I get it, he’s a top player. Cole Palmer has only just come in. But what is going on with the recruitment of these players? Why is Chelsea football club rebuilding? Why is Chelsea football club in a transition?”

“This is one of the best. I mean I’ve been there. I’m proud to have been there. It’s one of the best locations to play football in the world. I remember being with players in the dressing room, world class, world class, world class. Buying from Barcelona, buying from Real Madrid, buying from Bayern Munich. It’s like, we’re buying from Brighton, potential players. And I get you need a part of that, but where is the top world class players?”

Chelsea struggled to get out of the gate in 2023–24, earning just four out of a possible 12 points. Last season, they failed to qualify for Europe, which left them without continental action for the first time since 2016–17.