EPL: Chelsea’s football knowledge vanished after your arrival – Souness slams Boehly over three signings

Liverpool legend, Graeme Souness, has hit out at Chelsea’s co-owner Todd Boehly over his approach in the transfer market.

Souness believes Chelsea under the leadership of Boehly ‘gambled’ on three of their recent summer signings: Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Nicolas Jackson.

According to him, Chelsea’s football knowledge walked out the door the moment the American billionaire arrived at Stamford Bridge.

“In the last six months, we have seen Chelsea twice break the British transfer record – first for Enzo Fernandez and now Moises Caicedo,” Souness told the Daily Mail.

“In both cases, they were gambles on potential. Gambles that these young men will reach the heights that the extraordinary fees warrant.

“I can’t help but think that when Todd Boehly arrived at Chelsea, all the club’s football knowledge walked out the door. He’s paid way over the odds by buying players on the basis that they were being linked with other big clubs.

“Now he’s paid a combined £173m for Caicedo, a 21-year-old midfielder with one year’s experience of the Premier League at Brighton, and Romeo Lavia, a 19-year-old with a year at Southampton, because they were both linked with Liverpool.”

“The same question applies now as on the day when Boehly announced himself as Chelsea’s sporting director: Who’s he listening to?

Souness added: “Todd Boehly has bought three midfielders at vast expense, spent £800m in total, and still doesn’t have a world class striker. That is an example of someone not understanding our game.

“Boehly has spent £30m on Nicolas Jackson from Villarreal but that doesn’t add up to a proven goalscorer, for me.”