Chelsea's Attack Under Scrutiny: £150m Spent, Just Four Goals

Welcome to The Radar, a weekly Sky Sports column where Nick Wright combines data analysis and opinion to shed light on key Premier League stories. This week's focus includes: Chelsea's underperforming forwards, Semenyo's instant impact at Manchester City, and Brobbey's clutch performances for Sunderland. Chelsea fans might not miss Enzo Fernandez, who has work to do to repair relations with the fanbase after his comments about Real Madrid led to a two-game sideline by the club. However, his absence deprives Chelsea of their second-highest scorer of non-penalty goals this season. The team's misfiring attack is a problem for Liam Rosenior, especially considering they have failed to score in three consecutive games against top-level opposition. Joao Pedro has been a bright spot, with 14 Premier League goals since his £60m arrival from Brighton. However, the rest of the forwards signed last summer have struggled, with Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap, and Estevao scoring just four Premier League goals between them despite a combined transfer fee of £150.5m. Finishing has been an issue, with all four players underperforming expected goals to varying degrees. Their struggles raise questions about Chelsea's youthful recruitment strategy, which has left them short on reliable goalscorers. In contrast, Manchester City's signing of Antoine Semenyo has shown the value of recruiting for the present. Semenyo has scored more goals in nine Premier League games for City than Gittens, Delap, Garnacho, and Estevao have managed in 78 games for Chelsea. His goal in the FA Cup semi-final against Liverpool was his eighth in all competitions, helping to reinvigorate City's attack. Meanwhile, Sunderland host Spurs on Sunday, with Brian Brobbey looking to continue his clutch performances. All but one of his six Premier League goals have been crucial, with his goals worth a total of eight points to Sunderland this season. Other key matches include Crystal Palace vs Newcastle, Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa, and Chelsea's meeting with Manchester City.