Spending almost 300 million pounds this January on transfer window only, Chelsea football club broke all transfer window records. Their total spending was way more than that of Laliga, Bundesliga, Serie A and Ligue1 combined. Yet, their problems are far from over. Chelsea was unable to win the two matches since the closing of the January transfer window despite starting most of their big-money signings. They are currently placed ninth in the Premier League table as their European dreams slowly diminish. Their recent draw with West Ham United showed the lack of creativity in midfield and the lack of quality finishing upfront.
Chelsea took the lead against the hammers in the 16th minute when Chelsea’s two big-money winter signings combined for a beautiful goal. Enzo Fernandez whipped a curling cross into the box where an unmarked Jao Felix had only one job to do, put the ball in the back of the net, which he did remarkably. Chelsea looked to have increased the lead through Kai Havertz, but the offside call ruined the party. However, West ham equaliser came through the former Chelsea man Emerson Palmieri as he ran from the left-back position to meet with a Coufal cross which kindly deflected into his path. The Italian international made no mistake as he slotted the ball past Kepa Arrizabalaga for the equaliser. The first half saw both sides sharing the honours for a 1-1 draw. In the 84th minute, Thomas Soucek looked to have won it for the hammers as his shot found the back of the net and was later disallowed by VAR. Minutes later, Chelsea was denied a penalty deflected from a West Ham player’s hand, but the referee rejected the appeal. Amidst the chaos, both sides shared the honours at the London Stadium when the referee blew the whistle for full-time.
Despite spending a fortune in the transfer market, Chelsea sits at the mid-table, whereas the difference between West Ham United and the relegation zone is a mere two points. Chelsea will travel to Germany on Wednesday for their UEFA Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund. It is expected to be a tough matchup for the blues as the German giants are on a record-winning streak in the Bundesliga. Their next Premier League match will be next Saturday against Southampton at Stamford Bridge. However, Graham Potter’s future as Chelsea manager hangs by a thread as rumours suggest that the new owners are seriously hunting for a long-term replacement. A serious test awaits Chelsea in a fortnight as they have to travel to North London to compete with Spurs by the end of this month. After this match, a pretty picture can be drawn of Chelsea’s European ambitions next season.
