A new report shows that almost all of the Chelsea squad would fall into a category of youth with 96% at or under the age of 25. The Blues have experienced a massive squad overhaul since new ownership took over two years ago. BlueCo, a conglomerate led by Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, purchased the Premier League club in May 2022.
Since the takeover, Chelsea has signed nearly 40 new players in the transfer market. The plethora of new additions cost the ownership team around $1.4 billion. BlueCo has attempted to offset this incredible spending by offloading dozens of unwanted players.
As a result, just three senior players remain in the current squad from the 2021/22 season. Reece James and Ben Chilwell are the most prominent players on this list. The defenders have both dealt with a series of injuries in recent years though. Third-string goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli also previously joined the club in 2021. The shot-stopper, however, has only played one match for the Blues.
Only 4% of Chelsea’s recent signings were over 25 years old
Not only has BlueCo overhauled Chelsea’s roster, but they have mostly focused on signing young talent. For instance, a new report from the CIES Football Observatory shows that only 4% of the club’s recent signings were players over the age of 25.
Along with Bettinelli, the Blues also brought in veteran center-back Tosin Adarabioyo back in July. The former Fulham star was 26 when he signed with Chelsea as a free agent. None of the West London team’s current roster entered the fray over the age of 30. Bettinelli is the club’s only player in the squad over the age of 27.
Not only has Chelsea avoided targeting older, more experienced players, but they have also mostly signed prospects under the age of 21. According to the aforementioned report, 52% of the club’s current players were signed in this age bracket. This is the third-highest percentage of any team in Europe’s top five leagues. Only…
Source link : https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/blueco-wants-to-establish-multi-club-youth-setup-with-chelsea/
Author : Chris Moore
Publish date : 2024-10-24 20:11:44
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