FRIDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL EPL

£1.5bn spent & no striker in sight - how did chelsea get here?
Before Friday's Premier League game against Brighton, Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca said they "need to find something different" without a genuine centre-forward currently available.

After being thumped 3-0 while failing to muster a shot on target, presumably the Italian is still searching.

Despite spending more than £1.5bn since the Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly takeover went through less than three years ago, a recent injury crisis has left Chelsea's squad looking remarkably threadbare - none more so than up front.

How have they ended up with no fit strikers to call upon and how do they solve their problems in attack?

More than £1.5bn spent - so where are all the strikers?
Chelsea have signed a lot of attacking players since the takeover.

The Blues have forked out £445m on forwards - but aside from a now-injured Nicolas Jackson none have proved to be a high-quality number nine.

Pierre Emerick Aubameyang was signed for former manager Thomas Tuchel at a cost of £12m from Barcelona, but the veteran was frozen out soon after the German was sacked following a 100-day review from the ownership without a chance to prove his worth. He went on to score goals for Marseille in a sensational season in France before moving to Saudi Arabia.

The only other central strikers signed were David Datro Fofana, Deivid Washington and Marc Guiu, all young players at a combined cost of just £34m. None have looked ready for the Premier League, never mind the level required to meet the expectations at Chelsea.

The majority of that £445m went on Christopher Nkunku, Raheem Sterling, Mykhailo Mudryk, Pedro Neto, Joao Felix and Cole Palmer - all predominantly wingers or number 10s.

And only Palmer has produced on a consistent basis, having been involved in a league-high 39 goals (26 goals and 13 assists) in 2024.

Felix remarkably commanded an eye-watering £10m loan fee during his initial spell from Atletico Madrid in 2023, before he re-joined the club on a permanent basis for £45m last summer. He is now on loan at AC Milan.

What forwards do they actually have available?
Jackson has been ruled out for around six weeks with a hamstring injury.

The 23-year-old came off injured against West Ham two weeks ago and, although manager Maresca was initially hopeful the Senegal striker had avoided a major setback, scans have since revealed the problem to be much worse.

Fellow striker Guiu, a 19-year-old who has yet to start a Premier League game, is also out injured for a period of "weeks or months" after sustaining a groin problem against the Hammers.

Meanwhile, Ukrainian Mudryk has been suspended for allegedly testing positive for a banned substance.

To compound Chelsea's misery, Noni Madueke seemed to pull his hamstring while setting up a big chance for Palmer at Brighton and went straight down the tunnel for treatment after coming off. Maresca said afterwards that "he will be out for a while".

That all meant Chelsea's last three fit senior forwards were all on the pitch after Madueke's substitution - Palmer, Pedro Neto and Jadon Sancho - with academy winger Tyrique George the only attacking option able to come on in the second
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