The Premier League season hasn’t started as Chelsea would have hoped.
When the fixtures for the new season were released, Chelsea’s opening stretch of games presented what looked like a real opportunity to start the season stronger than their competitors.
Five games in, the Blues are in sixth place after two wins, two draws and a loss.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 3 |  TottenhamTottenham | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| 4 |  BournemouthBournemouth | 5 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 10 |
| 5 |  Crystal PalaceCrystal Palace | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 9 |
| 6 |  ChelseaChelsea | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 10 | 5 | 5 | 8 |
| 7 |  SunderlandSunderland | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 8 |
| 8 |  FulhamFulham | 5 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 8 |
The season is still young, but there are some who look at certain decisions made in the transfer window and wonder if the club’s actions are conducive to winning the league.
Paul Merson says Chelsea’s transfer strategy isn’t designed to win after Robert Sanchez not replaced
Paul Merson speaks his mind, and his mind is saying Chelsea have made a mistake this summer.
He points to Robert Sanchez holding onto the starting spot, and questions the decision not to sign a new keeper.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Merson says: “No club has ever won anything without a top goalkeeper. It’s very rare. You never look at clubs that win things anywhere in Europe and say the goalkeeper is the weak link – that never happens.”
He believes Chelsea were wrong not to replace Sanchez, and he’s not the only one. However, he thinks it’s not a mistake, but rather part of the club’s strategic operations.
As he explains: “If there’s no profit in it, the player won’t be bought. They buy young at the right market value – that doesn’t really work for a goalkeeper.”
Chelsea have indeed signed several young keepers in recent seasons, but none of the quality to replace the Spaniard, who made the most errors of any Premier League keeper last season. Merson thinks the policy of buying young is holding Chelsea back from truly competing.
“At the moment, they aren’t building a squad to win the Premier League,” says the former Arsenal midfielder.
Chelsea’s strategy has some clear flaws
Jamie Carragher made this point recently, that a strategy of signing only young players with profit potential leaves the squad without veteran leaders and experience.
When it comes to attackers, having young, energetic talents is a good thing, and we have seen the Blues thrive with a younger forward line. In midfield, the recruitment has been superb, signing young players with maturity like Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo.
But the problem areas of this Chelsea side are the centre-backs and the goalkeeper.
With Levi Colwill out injured, the options available to Enzo Maresca aren’t good enough or experienced enough to win over a sustained period. You need either a special young talent like Colwill or an older head to bring stability in defence. Think of Thiago Silva or Antonio Rudiger from days gone by.
In goal, it’s similar. Chelsea only buy prospects, so there’s no one to replace Sanchez completely.
The result of this is a top-heavy side, with loads of quality and excitement going forward, but vulnerability behind the ball. And as Merson points out, you won’t win the league with such an unbalanced squad.
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