Chelsea were rinsed by £48m flop who earned 4x more than Palmer

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.