Arsenal legend Merson slams Chelsea’s £600m transfers saying Mudryk has done ‘nothing’ and Madueke isn’t good enough
ARSENAL legend Paul Merson has slammed Chelsea’s £600m recruitment and says Mykhailo Mudryk has done “nothing” and that Noni Madueke is not good enough.
Blues owner Todd Boehly spent a stunning £326m in the January transfer window – which is more than a third of the total £815m paid across the whole of the Premier League.
GettyChelsea could end up paying a total of £97m for Mykhailo Mudryk[/caption]
GettyThe Blues also bought Noni Madueke from PSV for £35m[/caption]
Enzo Fernandez broke the British transfer record by joining Chelsea for £107m on deadline day.
The World Cup-winning Argentina midfielder became the EIGHTH arrival in January alone, following the likes of £97m Mudryk from Shakhtar Donetsk, Benoit Badiashile and £35m winger Madueke from PSV.
However, Saturday’s defeat at home to bottom side Southampton means it is just two wins in 14 Premier League matches for under-pressure boss Graham Potter.
Mudryk did make a promising cameo during his Chelsea debut in the goalless draw at Liverpool last month but has still yet to deliver either a goal or an assist.
And Merson, who won the top tier twice during his Gunners heyday, says that the Ukrainian international should already be making an impact.
He told Sky Sports: “People think Potter isn’t the right man for the job, but I think he is. For me, I think give him time.
“I don’t see it changing too quickly. I look at the players and I don’t get it.
“This Sunday is Chelsea’s biggest game of the season – it’s Tottenham. If he loses this one I’m not sure there is a way back because the fans will go ballistic.
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“This game can change everything though – if Chelsea beat Spurs he can also be a hero.
“I like him as a manager but I look at the quality of the players and I question it.”
And that is when Merson decided to pull the trigger on the new boys.
The ex-England star added: “They brought Mykhailo Mudryk for £88m and, bar a cameo of 20 minutes, he’s shown nothing. I mean nothing.
“You wouldn’t expect to need time to settle in at that price.
“The forward-thinking players are no better than the ones they’ve already got so what’s the point? You can’t tell me that Noni Madueke is a better player than Raheem Sterling or Christian Pulisic. He’s not.
“Why are you buying a load of players that aren’t better than what you’ve got? None of them improve the team bar Enzo Fernandez and the centre-half [Benoit Badiashile].”
GettyPaul Merson has gone in two-footed on Chelsea’s new additions[/caption]