Since taking over Chelsea in the summer Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital have shown they are not afraid to spend money. There have been no shortage of new arrivals at Stamford Bridge since Boehly became interim-sporting director, and with three January additions already, that shows no sign of slowing down.
David Datro Fofana, Andrey Santos and defender Benoit Badaishile have all been confirmed as Chelsea players in 2023 with less than a week of the window gone. The latter signed a seven-and-a-half-year deal after completing his £34million move from Monaco as Chelsea continue to look to set themselves up for the present and the future.
Boehly and co-controlling owner Behdad Eghbali said: "We're delighted to welcome Benoit to Chelsea. He's an excellent young player who has quickly established a strong reputation for himself and has a huge amount of experience for his young age. We are sure he will form an important part of our team in the years ahead."
READ MORE: Graham Potter faces unwanted Benoit Badiashile decision for Man City vs Chelsea after £34m deal
The 21-year-old Badiashile is the fourth defender the Blues have added for 2022/23 with Marc Cucurella, Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly to total £200million spent on the club's backline. Cucurella and Fofana signed seven-year and six-year deals respectively, while Koulibaly signed a four-year deal despite already turning 41.
There has been a determination to action more long-term deals with Reece James committing himself to the club until 2028, while Trevoh Chalobah extended his deal until the same time, while the club hold an option on an addition year, just 12 months after signing a new deal.
The replenishing in defence has been necessary since the departures of Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen for free to Real Madrid and Barcelona respectively, while 38-year-old Thiago Silva will currently see his contract expire in the summer. Nevertheless, the return of Levi Colwill will see Graham Potter hold five central defensive options, presuming Silva departs, for two positions if the Chelsea boss continues to field a back four.
Clearly, the new ownership has a philosophy to make young and long-term additions. Eventually this development will be spread around other clubs in the group with a dinstinguished pathway but it currently comes with a degree of risk. The summer saw Chalobah considering his options to be reassured of his role but given Silva and Koulibaly have started three matches in a row and a new defender has been signed since the Premier League restart, it is easy to see how those thoughts could emerge again.
Colwill too, will no doubt take stock of his options, having seen other academy products such as Fikayo Tomori and Marc Guehi move on and thrive elsewhere. The Brighton loanee is highly regarded by Chelsea, and for many will be destined for a place in Chelsea's starting XI.
Injuries limited his opportunities in pre-season under Thomas Tuchel before he headed to the Amex Stadium in August and Colwill is set to return in the summer needing to impress Potter and his staff. However, continued additions in the form Badiashile who plays on the left side of defence, perhaps Colwill's more natural position despite training in the heart of a back three during pre-season, will provide some pause for though.
If more defensive additions emerge, and rumours around the likes of Josko Gvardiol continue, players such as Chalobah and Colwill are sure to take stock regardless of the confidence they place in themselves.
It is a path the club's recruitment team will have to tread carefully in coming seasons. There is a clear philosophy to take advantage of signing young talents. Adding Badiashile, Carney Chukwuemeka, Cesare Casadei make that obvious and on occasions when those talents are good enough for the first team, questions will be asked for current players.
There is an upside of landing a generational talent for a reasonable price, or being able to make an outstanding profit but in a world not always used to such extensive recruitment, players will be sure to look out for themselves. Chelsea will need to be as persuasive to their current stars as future ones as the rebuild moves on.
READ NEXT:
Every word Graham Potter said on Enzo Fernandez to Chelsea transfer, Sterling, Pulisic, Aubameyang
Benfica make Enzo Fernandez decision as Todd Boehly faces £105m Chelsea transfer ultimatum
Todd Boehly continues Chelsea restructure as Liverpool and Man City benefit from backroom exodus
Benoit Badiashile's first words after completing £33.6m transfer to Chelsea from Monaco
Chelsea and Sampdoria lead tributes for Gianluca Vialli as club legend dies after cancer battle
