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 stories from the Premier League. This week, we examine Chelsea's underperforming attacking recruits, Semenyo's instant impact for Manchester City, and a player to watch this weekend. Chelsea fans might not miss Enzo Fernandez for Sunday's game against Manchester City, given his recent comments about Real Madrid. However, his absence means they will be without their second-highest scorer of non-penalty goals this season. The team will need others to step up, having failed to score in three consecutive games against top-level opposition. Their misfiring attack poses a problem for Liam Rosenior. Joao Pedro has performed well, with 14 Premier League goals since his £60m arrival from Brighton. In contrast, 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 despite costing a combined £150.5m in transfer fees. Estevao, at just 18, has shown promise but the others have underperformed, with finishing being a significant issue. Delap has scored nearly three goals fewer than expected, while Garnacho has also struggled. Their difficulties 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 established players. Semenyo's impact has helped reinvigorate Manchester City's attack, easing their reliance on Erling Haaland. Meanwhile, Sunderland host Spurs on Sunday, and Brian Brobbey will be looking to continue his clutch performances, having scored crucial goals throughout the season. His goals have been worth eight points to Sunderland, making him a vital player for the team.