Chelsea's Struggling Forwards: £150m Investment Yields Only Four Goals

Welcome to The Radar, a Sky Sports column where Nick Wright combines data and opinion to shed light on key Premier League stories. This week's topics include: Chelsea's underperforming attacking signings, Semenyo's swift impact at Manchester City, and Brobbey's crucial contributions for Sunderland. Chelsea's supporters may not miss Enzo Fernandez, who has been sidelined following comments about Real Madrid, but his absence leaves a gap in their attack. The team has failed to score in three consecutive games against top-level opponents, and their misfiring attack is a concern for Liam Rosenior. Joao Pedro has been a bright spot with 14 Premier League goals since his £60m arrival from Brighton. However, other forwards signed last summer, including Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap, and Estevao, have struggled, scoring only four Premier League goals between them despite a combined transfer fee of £150.5m. At just 18, Estevao has shown promise, but the team's attacking overhaul has not yielded the expected results. Finishing has been an issue, with all four players underperforming their expected goals. Manchester City's recruitment strategy, which includes signing players like Antoine Semenyo at peak age, has proven successful. Semenyo has scored more goals in nine Premier League games for City than Chelsea's four forwards have in 78 games. His impact has reinvigorated City's attack and reduced their reliance on Erling Haaland. Meanwhile, Sunderland's Brian Brobbey has been producing clutch performances, with all but one of his six Premier League goals proving crucial. 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 a busy Super Sunday schedule includes Crystal Palace vs Newcastle, Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa, and Sunderland vs Spurs.