Graham Potter became the most expensive football manager in Premier League history when he was appointed Chelsea boss last September. Nabbing the 47-year-old from Brighton to replace Thomas Tuchel cost the club a staggering £21.5million in compensation.
That sum is on top of a similarly eye-watering £600million spent on the playing staff across just two transfer windows, as co-owner Todd Boehly continues to shape the club in his vision. Despite the substantial sums of money departing Stamford Bridge across the last 12 months, Chelsea re currently languishing in 10th place in the Premier League, 11 points off a Champions League place.
That being said, the Blues still have the opportunity to make this a special campaign, as they prepare to face Real Madrid in the Champions League quarter-finals over the coming weeks. Former Chelsea defender William Gallas believes the money would only have been worth it if they lift Europe's greatest prize this June, claiming Potter and his expensively-assembled squad are far from offering Boehly value for money.
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"Twenty one million… What is Chelsea’s position? Tenth? Do you think they will qualify for the Champions League? I don’t," Gallas told Genting Casino. "For Chelsea this season, they have spent a lot of money for what?
"Look, they brought [Mykhailo] Mudryk for £100 million. In the last five or ten games Chelsea have played, he has started once. I don’t know what is going on there to be honest.
"It looks like the American owners want to change everything straight away and they want to bring the American mentality, but it doesn’t work like this. You have to take things step by step, not try to do everything in one year.
"It is a great shame (the season Chelsea are having) because I think players and the people who work at the club did a good job in the past to bring Chelsea to a very high level. I know there is a new owner, but it is still difficult to understand the season they’ve had so far - even if they are in the quarter final of the Champions League against Real Madrid.
"The only thing that can help change their season is to win the Champions League. That is the only way they can save their season."
Chelsea reached the Champions League last-eight with a 2-1 aggregate win against Borussia Dortmund earlier this month. They were subsequently rewarded with a tough tie against holders Real Madrid after Los Blancos beat Chelsea at the same stage last year to claim the 2021/22 European triumph.
Potter also discovered that if he were to guide his side past the Spanish giants, the winner of Manchester City vs Bayern Munich would be lying await in the semi-finals. Meanwhile in the league, Chelsea return to action this Saturday with a home clash against Aston Villa, knowing a win could keep them in touching distance of qualifying for next season's competition.
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