Blue fans reacts as club now regrets selling star player for just £7m and he’s now worth more than Lavia and Madueke.
It’s safe to say that no Chelsea fan could’ve predicted the ridiculous spending that has taken place at Stamford Bridge over the past couple of years.
American Todd Boehly took over the reins from Roman Abramovich back in 2022, with the 50-year-old splashing the cash to try and improve the squad.
He’s spent over £1.1bn on new transfers, somehow avoiding any FFP and PSR breaches, and recruiting some excellent talents in the process.
The addition of Cole Palmer from Manchester City stands out as the best piece of business, with the 22-year-old registering 33 goal contributions in the Premier League last season – the most of any player in the division.
However, another talented youngster is yet to showcase his full potential in West London, with his time with the Blues plagued with various injury issues.
Roméo Lavia’s stats at Chelsea
After Southampton’s relegation to the Championship back in the 2022/23 season, Chelsea decided to raid the Saints for one of their star talents.
The Blues forked out a whopping £58m for the signing of midfielder Roméo Lavia – a huge figure for a 20-year-old who only made his Premier League debut during the relegation campaign a couple of years ago.
Since his big-money move to the Bridge, the Belgian has really struggled to maintain fitness, restricting him to just 32 minutes of football last season – coming in the 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace in December last year.
However, he’s already achieved more minutes this campaign, featuring for 66 minutes during the opening-day defeat against Champions Manchester City a couple of weeks ago.
Lavia desperately needs a consistent run of minutes if he is to reach his potential and provide any value for money, with his market value already taking a plunge as a result of his injury setbacks.
Roméo Lavia’s market value in 2024
Ethan Ampadu joined Chelsea in a £2.5m deal from Exeter City after a tribunal, moving to London with huge potential after making his first-team debut at the age of just 15.
But, after just 12 first-team appearances and various unsuccessful loans to Italy, the Blues decided to cash in on the Wales international last summer, selling him for £7m to Championship side Leeds United.
The decision already looks to have backfired, with the 23-year-old featuring in every single league outing since his move, earning a place in the EFL Team of the Season for the 2023/24 campaign.
As a result of his impressive displays, the “unbelievable” Ampadu, as dubbed by teammate Dan James, has seen his market value soar – now worth in the region of £15.6m as per Football Transfers.
His subsequent value is higher than that of current first-team member Lavia, who is only valued at £12.6m a year on from his big-money transfer to Stamford Bridge.
Whilst undoubtedly there is a huge gap between the Championship and the Premier League, Ampadu has demonstrated that he has the ability to be a success in the top flight once again after impressing in England’s second tier last season.
The £7m fee the club sold him for now seems to be an absolute bargain, with the club potentially living to regret the transfer in the years ahead.
