CHELSEA fans were one decision away from a seemingly perfect transfer window.
And that decision was not one of their own but one made by AS Monaco, after pulling out of a deal for midfielder Lamine Camara at the final hour, who was supposed to replace Enzo Fernandez.
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Still, the Blues’ first window with Xabi Alonso at the helm is something to be marveled at in terms of incomings, but especially in terms of outgoings.
The signing of Morgan Rogers looks to have given them one of the most dangerous forward lines in the Premier League, with Maxence Lacroix enforcing their defence, and Emiliano Martinez replacing the inconsistent Robert Sanchez in goal.
Those three were joined by the incomings of Marco Palestra, Danny Welbeck, Jordan Henderson, Pep Chavarria, Valentin Barco, Honest Anahor, Geovany Quenda, and Dastan Satpayev.
If they had have replaced the outgoing Fernandez with Camara they would total 12 new players who all bring vastly different qualities.
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MORGAN ROGERS – 9
- £117m from Aston Villa
Rogers’ signing from Aston Villa has started very brightly, and got everyone talking about Chelsea‘s ‘JP Morgan’ or ‘CPR’ front three.
He has a great relationship with Cole Palmer, who also seems to be back on track and boosted by Rogers’ signing, and has scored and assisted in the Prem already.
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It’s a hefty fee, which makes him the most expensive English player of all time, but so far he looks to be proving his worth.
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So far, signing him looks a very smart move from The Blues, and one that could even propel them to the title if things work out.
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EMILIANO MARTINEZ – 8
- £7.5m from Aston Villa
For such a cheap fee, it’s hard to argue that this will be a bad signing for Chelsea.
Robert Sanchez was incredibly error prone, and Martinez is a proven top-level goalkeeper who has won numerous trophies and individual awards, as well as being a leader and adding experience to the side.
However, he is just as, if not more mistake-prone than Sanchez – and it will be a waiting game to see how much that impacts Chelsea and the value of his signing.
MAXENCE LACROIX – 8
- £52m from Crystal Palace
Perhaps a little pricey, but undoubtedly what Chelsea needed at the back.
A Premier League proven defender who is comfortable in a back three system, with recovery pace to burn and of a good age profile for what this Chelsea team need.
The Frenchman has been exceptional so far, and especially strong against Fulham where he bagged an assist.
Admittedly, the Blues defence still looks particularly shaky even with him in it, but the missing Moises Caicedo won’t be helping that one bit.
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MARCO PALESTRA – 7
- £43m from Bologna
The Italian wingback has already been dubbed the ‘next Marcos Alonso‘ at Stamford Bridge.
Problem with that being, he was great going forward, but had obvious shortcomings in defence – something Palestra seems to share with him,
For £43m, the upside to his signing certainly outweights the potential downside, and he looks a promising signing from pre-season despite picking up an injury that has seen him miss the opening two matches of the Premier League.
DANNY WELBECK – 7
- £5m from Brighton
What Welbeck brings to this team is obvious, experience and goals.
He will be a good, much-needed leader for Alonso, and has already bagged his first goal in blue in the Carabao Cup.
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JORDAN HENDERSON – 7
- Free from Brentford
The midfielder is yet to really do anything since joining Chelsea, given his overhanging injury from the World Cup.
That said, he has been taking up something of a coaching role under Alonso and will have a good impact on the dressing room.
Having signed on a free it’s hard to give him a bad mark, and he might even get some minutes in the absence of Fernandez.
VALENTIN BARCO – 8
- £33.6m from Strasbourg
Wasn’t given much of a chance by fans when he first signed, but actually already looks a very astute signing.
He’s versatile, and can play as a full-back or a midfielder, shining in the Carabao Cup arguably more than any other player – dubbed a mix of Kevin De Bruyne and N’Golo Kante.
If he turns out to be anywhere near as good as either of those, he will be a success.
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PEP CHAVARRIA – 7
- £16.3m from Rayo Vallecano
Compared mostly to Cesar Azpilicueta, Chavarria has been solid when he has played for Chelsea so far.
He seems like largely a backup option on the left to the likes of Jorrel Hato and Marco Palestra, but a solid one nonetheless when he has played, and again is the right age profile for what Chelsea needed in this window.
GEOVANY QUENDA – 7
- £44m from Sporting
A very, very exciting winger who can also play wingback under Xabi Alonso.
He is versatile and looks fresh in the same way Estevao did when he was breaking onto the scene at Stamford Bridge last season.
When he has played he looks direct and willing to take on his man, and you would imagine he is someone that if Chelsea do ever need to offload that they will profit on.
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DASTAN SATPAYEV – 8
- £3.5m from Kairat Almaty
Is spending the season on loan at Burnley, but it’s hard to imagine the Blues’ ‘baby Aguero’ not at least turning them a profit in the future.
He has also looked promising when he has actually played under Alonso, scoring a goal in pre-season.
HONEST ANAHOR – ?
- £40m from Atalanta
Is supposedly the next best defender to come out of Serie A, and will spend this season at Crystal Palace before joining Chelsea in 2027.
£40m is a lot of money for a centre-back who will need to impress at Palace this season.
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OVERALL RATING: 8/10
Xabi Alonso has been given the ‘manager’ title at Stamford Bridge, and it shows.
He has addressed almost every problem area in the squad, apart from the central midfield position where the late departure of Enzo Fernandez has left a hole.
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A new goalkeeper in Emi Martinez and the additions of Maxence Lacroix and Morgan Rogers address issues from qualitative depth to a lack of experience from last season, and seem to suit Alonso’s system nicely.
Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson should provide experience and squad depth, while Chelsea have also sold brilliantly and still brought promising youth in the form of Anahor, Quenda and Satpayev, who will likely make them a profit or become superstars themselves.