Chelsea's Struggling Forwards: £150m Spent, Only Four Goals Scored

Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column where Nick Wright combines data and opinion to shed light on key stories from the Premier League. This week's focus includes: Chelsea's underperforming attacking recruits, Semenyo's instant impact for Manchester City, and Brobbey's crucial contributions for Sunderland. Chelsea fans may not miss Enzo Fernandez for their upcoming match against Manchester City due to his recent comments, but his absence will be felt as he is their second-highest scorer of non-penalty goals this season. His equalizer against Manchester City in January earned Chelsea a point. However, Chelsea's attack has been misfiring, and it's a problem for Liam Rosenior. Despite Joao Pedro's 14 Premier League goals, the rest of the forwards signed last summer have struggled. Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap, and Estevao have scored only four Premier League goals between them, despite a combined transfer fee of £150.5m. Estevao, at just 18, has shown promise but the rest have underperformed. Finishing has been an issue, with Delap being the biggest culprit, scoring nearly three goals fewer than expected based on the quality of his chances. Their struggles raise questions about Chelsea's recruitment strategy, which has focused on young players. Manchester City's signing of Antoine Semenyo, who has scored more goals in nine games than Chelsea's young forwards have in 78, highlights the value of recruiting for immediate impact. Semenyo's goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool was his eighth in all competitions, helping to revive their attack in the second half of the campaign. His visit to Stamford Bridge may prompt Chelsea to reflect on their approach to the transfer market. Elsewhere, Sunderland hosts Spurs, and Brian Brobbey's clutch contributions will be crucial. Brobbey has scored six Premier League goals, with all but one being decisive. His goals have been worth eight points to Sunderland this season. The importance of Youri Tielemans' return to fitness for Aston Villa cannot be overstated, and Liverpool hosts Fulham on Saturday Night Football.