Chelsea were rinsed by £48m flop who earned 4x more than Palmer
Chelsea haven’t been shy of a transfer or two since the takeover by Todd Boehly, with the club spending over £1b on transfers since the American’s acquisition of the club back in May 2022.
The club’s huge spending started during the summer window in 2022, with the Blues – then managed by Thomas Tuchel – spending over £270m in that window alone, as the club wanted to invest in the first team to close the gap produced by Manchester City in recent years.
The signings of players such as Marc Cucurella and Wesley Fofana allowed the Blues to make an immediate impact in the Premier League, with the duo initially becoming key first-team members.
However, the latter has endured a torrid time with injuries since his arrival, only featuring 20 times for Chelsea since his arrival at the club nearly two years ago.
Despite Fofana’s long-term stint on the sidelines, the club also signed a player who failed to make an impact at Stamford Bridge who has already been moved on after just a year at the club.
Kalidou Koulibaly’s stats at Chelsea
Centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly joined the Blues for £33m in July 2022, with the club landing one of their long-term targets to strengthen the defensive third.
The former Napoli man made his first start during the 1-0 win away at Everton on the opening day, and the Senegalese defender made an instant impact for the Londoners.
Koulibaly continued his good start to life at Stamford Bridge, scoring a brilliant goal in the 2-2 draw against rivals Tottenham Hotspur, as the centre-back showed early signs of being a great signing for Tuchel’s side.
However, his first two appearances were as good as it got for the Senegal international, with the former Napoli man failing to replicate the form he found early on in his Chelsea career.
He would go on to make 23 Premier League appearances during 2022/23 before a hamstring injury cut his campaign short – the defender playing his last game in the 1-0 defeat away to eventual champions Manchester City before departing Stamford Bridge less than a year after arriving.
Koulibaly swapped Europe for Saudi Arabia, joining Al Hilal in a £25m move last summer – with the Blues losing £8m on the 32-year-old, but shifting his hefty wages off the wage bill.
Kalidou Koulibaly’s wages at Chelsea
After arriving at Stamford Bridge, the defender penned a four-year deal, on a reported £295k-per-week and £15.3m-a-year, as per Spotrac – a remarkable amount of money.
His weekly wage is currently nearly four times more than Chelsea star Cole Palmer who only earns £75k-per-week despite his unbelievable form that has seen him score 16 goals in 27 Premier League outings. That tells you all you need to know about the club’s failings with the Koulibaly transfer.
Players who earn less than Koulibaly did at Chelsea
Player
Weekly wage
Christopher Nkunku
£195k
Enzo Fernandez
£180k
Moises Caicedo
£150k
Mykhailo Mudryk
£100k
Cole Palmer
£75k
Conor Gallagher
£50k
Stats via Spotrac
Given his lack of impact at the club and his extortionate weekly wage, Boehly and the club did the right thing in offloading the Senegalese last summer. Having cost a grand total of £48.3m, this was certainly money down the drain.
Although he’s found his feet in the Middle East, he’s clearly past his best and wasn’t up to the demands of the Premier League. His departure has also allowed for the likes of Axel Disasi and Benoit Badiashile to progress and develop into the club’s long-term centre-back partnership.
Wage Burners
Football FanCast’s Wage Burners series explores the salaries of the modern-day game.
News Related
-
Asylum seekers travel in an inflatable boat across the English Channel, bound for Dover on the south coast of England (Photo: Ben Stansall/AFP) Up to 40 Conservative MPs are poised to rebel over Rishi Sunak’s Rwanda deportation policy as they question ministers’ commitment to the scheme. A major row is ...
See Details:
Up to 40 Tory MPs ‘set to rebel’ if Sunak’s Rwanda plan doesn’t override ECHR
-
In the saltmarsh fringing where the Ballyboe River dissolves into Trawbreaga Bay, a little egret wears its plumage like a windblown stole. Our car swoops across the 10 arches of Malin bridge and we park along the village green. Malin is almost as far north as you can get on ...
See Details:
Country diary: A tale of three churches
-
Photograph: Chris Ratcliffe/EPA Hampton Court is an enduring monument to the power of Henry VIII, a pleasure palace down the Thames from Westminster and the City of London. On Monday it was the scene of power projection of a different kind, as Rishi Sunak pitched for investment from some of ...
See Details:
Sunak woos business elite with royal welcome – but they seek certainty
-
-
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January Tottenham Hotspur have joined the race to bring an overseas defender to the Premier League in January, according to a fresh report. Postecoglou’s centre-back options The Lilywhites currently have Micky Van De Ven, Ashley Phillips, Cristian Romero and Eric ...
See Details:
Tottenham interested in move to sign “fearless” £20m defender in January
-
A £100m campaign urging households and businesses to use less water will be funded from customers’ bills, Ofwat has said. Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign The regulator’s chief executive David Black told MPs that if the measures worked it would be cheaper than building ...
See Details:
Bill payers to stump up cost of £100m water usage campaign
-
FILE PHOTO: Soccer Football – FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023 – Group B – Canada Training – Olympic Park, Melbourne, Australia – July 24, 2023 Canada’s Christine Sinclair during training REUTERS/Hannah Mckay/File Photo (Reuters) – BC Place in Vancouver, British Columbia, will be renamed “Christine Sinclair ...
See Details:
Soccer-Venue renamed 'Christine Sinclair Place' for Canada soccer great's final game
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Phil Taylor makes his pick for 2024 World Darts Championship winner
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Soccer-Howe aims to boost Newcastle's momentum in PSG clash
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Hamilton heads for hibernation with a word of warning
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
Carolina Panthers fire head coach Frank Reich after 1-10 start to the season
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
This exercise is critical for golfers. 4 tips to doing it right
-
Michael van Gerwen is hunting down a fourth World Championship title (Picture: Getty Images) Michael van Gerwen is Phil Taylor’s tip to lift the World Darts Championship trophy for a fourth time in January, expecting a backlash from the recent defeat in the Players Championship Finals. The 2024 World Championship ...
See Details:
One in three households with children 'will struggle to afford Christmas'
-
OTHER NEWS
Kobbie Mainoo made his first start for Man Utd at Everton (Photo: Getty) The Football Association are reportedly confident that Manchester United starlet Kobbie Mainoo will choose to represent England ...
Read more »
Michael Smith will begin the defence of his world title on the opening night (Picture: Getty Images) The 2024 World Darts Championship is less than three weeks away and the ...
Read more »
For the first time a long haul commercial aircraft is flying across the Atlantic using 100% sustainable aviation fuel (SAF). A long haul commercial flight is flying to the US ...
Read more »
The King has met business and finance leaders from across the world at a Buckingham Palace reception to mark the conclusion of the UK’s Global Investment Summit. Charles was introduced ...
Read more »
After Ohio State’s 30-24 loss to Michigan Saturday, many college football fans were wondering where Lou Holtz was. In his postgame interview after the Buckeyes beat Notre Dame 17-14 in ...
Read more »
Darius Slay wouldn’t have minded being penalized on controversial no-call No matter which team you were rooting for on Sunday, we can all agree that the officiating job performed by ...
Read more »
New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) Quarterback Mac Jones remains committed to finding success with the New England Patriots even though his future is up in the air following ...
Read more »