Chelsea's Struggling Forwards: £150m Spent, but Only Four Goals to Show

Welcome to The Radar, a column by Nick Wright that combines data and opinion to shed light on key stories from the Premier League. This week, we're focusing on Chelsea's underperforming forwards, Semenyo's instant impact at Manchester City, and Brian Brobbey's clutch performances for Sunderland. Chelsea's attacking woes continue, with their summer signings struggling to make an impact. Despite spending £150.5m on Jamie Gittens, Alejandro Garnacho, Liam Delap, and Estevao, they have only scored four Premier League goals between them. Joao Pedro has been a rare bright spot, with 14 Premier League goals since his £60m arrival from Brighton. However, the rest of the forwards have failed to deliver, with Gittens, Delap, and Garnacho struggling to hold down a place in the starting lineup. Finishing has been a major issue, with all four players underperforming their expected goals. In contrast, Manchester City's signing of Antoine Semenyo from Bournemouth has proven to be a masterstroke, with the 26-year-old scoring more goals in nine Premier League games than Chelsea's quartet have managed in 78. Semenyo's ability to slot straight into City's lineup and make an instant impact has reinvigorated their attack and eased 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 90th-minute winner against Newcastle was a highlight, and his goals have been worth a total of eight points to Sunderland this season. With a bumper schedule on Super Sunday, including Chelsea's meeting with Manchester City, it will be interesting to see how these teams fare and whether Chelsea's forwards can finally find their scoring touch.