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

Introducing The Radar, a Sky Sports column where Nick Wright combines data and opinion to shed light on key Premier League stories. This week's focus includes: Chelsea's underperforming attacking signings, Semenyo's instant impact at Manchester City, and Brobbey's crucial contributions for Sunderland. Chelsea's supporters may not miss Enzo Fernandez for their upcoming match against Manchester City, given his recent controversy. However, his absence means they will be without their second-highest scorer of non-penalty goals this season. The team's misfiring attack poses a significant problem for Liam Rosenior. Despite Joao Pedro's impressive 14 Premier League goals since his £60m transfer from Brighton, the rest of the forwards signed last summer have struggled. Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap, and Estevao have collectively scored only four Premier League goals, despite their combined £150.5m transfer fees. Finishing has been a major issue for these players, with all of them underperforming their expected goals to varying degrees. Delap has been the biggest culprit, scoring nearly three goals fewer than he should have based on the quality of his chances. Their struggles raise questions about Chelsea's recruitment strategy, which has prioritized youthful signings over experienced players. In contrast, Manchester City's signing of Antoine Semenyo has proven to be a successful move, with the 26-year-old scoring more goals in nine Premier League games for City than Gittens, Delap, Garnacho, and Estevao have managed in 78 games for Chelsea. Semenyo's goal in their FA Cup semi-final win over Liverpool was his eighth in all competitions, and his contributions have helped reinvigorate City's attack in the second half of the campaign. 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 a total of eight points to Sunderland this season. Other key matches to watch include Crystal Palace vs Newcastle, Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa, and Sunderland vs Spurs, all available on Sky Sports.