Chelsea's £150m Forwards Struggle to Find the Net

Welcome to The Radar, a column by Nick Wright that sheds light on key Premier League stories using data and opinion. This week's topics include: Chelsea's underperforming forwards, Antoine Semenyo's impact at Manchester City, and Brian Brobbey's clutch performances for Sunderland. Chelsea's attacking woes are a concern for Liam Rosenior, with the team failing to score in three consecutive games against top-level opposition. Despite Joao Pedro's impressive goal tally, the rest of the forwards signed last summer have struggled, with Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap, and Estevao scoring only four Premier League goals between them. The quartet, who cost a combined £150.5m in transfer fees, have underperformed expected goals, with Delap being the biggest culprit. Their struggles raise questions about Chelsea's recruitment strategy, which has focused on youthful players. In contrast, Manchester City's signing of Antoine Semenyo has paid off, with the 26-year-old scoring more goals in nine Premier League games than Chelsea's quartet has managed in 78 games. Semenyo's goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool was his eighth in all competitions, and his impact has helped reinvigorate City's attack. Meanwhile, Sunderland's Brian Brobbey has been producing clutch contributions, with all but one of his six Premier League goals proving crucial. His goals have been worth eight points to Sunderland this season, and he will look to continue his form against Spurs on Sunday.