Chelsea's Struggling Forwards: £150m Spent, Only Four Goals Scored

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's focus includes: Chelsea's underperforming attacking signings, Semenyo's instant impact at Manchester City, Brobbey's clutch performances for Sunderland, and a player to watch this weekend. Chelsea fans may not miss Enzo Fernandez, who is sidelined, but his absence means they will be without their second-highest scorer of non-penalty goals this season. The team's misfiring attack is a significant problem for Liam Rosenior. Despite Joao Pedro's 14 Premier League goals, 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 a combined transfer fee of £150.5m. Finishing has been an issue, with all four players underperforming expected goals. 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 visit to Stamford Bridge on Sunday may prompt Chelsea to reflect on their transfer market approach. Elsewhere, Sunderland host Tottenham, and Brian Brobbey's clutch contributions will be crucial. His six Premier League goals have been vital, with all but one proving decisive. The importance of Youri Tielemans' return to fitness for Aston Villa cannot be overstated, and a bumper schedule on Super Sunday includes Crystal Palace vs Newcastle, Nottingham Forest vs Aston Villa, and Sunderland vs Tottenham.