Premier League legend Paul Scholes has accused Chelsea of going from one extreme to the other when it comes to their transfer strategy this summer, with two signings in particular clearly highlighting that the club has ‘money to waste’.
New boss Xabi Alonso has overseen a major change in direction from the club after the departure of Liam Rosenior towards the end of last season, as the Blues failed to qualify for Europe.
Chelsea‘s approach has mostly seen them scale back on signing untested younger talents from across the globe, deciding instead to move for proven Premier League players.
The big-money arrivals of Morgan Rogers and Maxence Lacroix typify the club’s new approach, with Alonso known to have been at the forefront of the decision-making.
READ: Romano expects Man City to ‘try again’ for Fernandez as medical is scheduled for Chelsea defender
The former Bayer Leverkusen and Real Madrid coach made it clear he would only accept the job at Stamford Bridge under the title of ‘manager’, and would have a greater say on incomings and outgoings.
Having been forced to abandon his pursuit of Sunderland star Granit Xhaka, after the Swiss midfielder confirmed his desire to remain on Wearside, Alonso gave the green light to land experienced duo Danny Welbeck and Jordan Henderson instead.
Both players are expected to assume senior leadership roles in a dressing room that has sorely missed those qualities, having regularly thrown away leads last season while also receiving a record eight red cards.
Scholes baffled by Chelsea transfer approach
Scholes, however, has questioned how much of an impact Welbeck and Henderson will actually have if they aren’t on the pitch regularly, a question that was also raised with England regarding the latter at the World Cup.
Indeed, the Man Utd great told The Overlap Fan Debate: “Those two older players, it feels you’ve gone from one extreme to another, I can’t get my head around it.
“You’ve got a load of 21-year-olds, alright get some more experience at 28 or 29 but they’re like 37 or 38.
“I get the Xhaka one, he’s still a good player and he was brilliant in the World Cup.
“I think that’s where he’ll expect the most and that’s where they’re going to have most influence on the training pitch because they’re not going to be playing all the time, especially Henderson.
“Welbeck will still come on but that’s where they’re going to be most valuable. Look if Chelsea have got money to waste doing that then it’s down to them isn’t it.”
Meanwhile, Scholes’ former England teammate Jamie Carragher echoed those sentiments, particularly surrounding Henderson, adding: “I find it strange because I think the signing from Crystal Palace [Lacroix] is really good.
“You’ve got a lot of young centre backs, he comes in, he knows the league and he’s an experienced player.
“But you’re talking about the issue on the pitch in terms of red cards and losing leads, throwing leads away. How much are they going to be on the pitch, Henderson and Welbeck?
“That’s my point, if they were 28 or 29 say like Tielemans in that age bracket. I know they’re going to be great on the training pitch and we’ll be getting hit with those stories if Chelsea make a great start it’ll be Henderson and Welbeck are great in the dressing room.
“In terms of helping Chelsea with discipline which Chelsea need or helping see games out they could come on for the last 10 or 15 minutes of games. But what Chelsea need help with is that experience on the pitch.
READ NEXT: Premier League transfer net spend table for 26/27 season: Man Utd 14th!
“I understood Henderson going to the World Cup. People said he’s not going to play that much, but it’s only a six-week tournament, there’s going to be players who don’t play but when you’ve got a squad of 22 at some stage over a 10-month season you’re going to need everyone at some stage.
“He will add something off the pitch but I think experience you need on the pitch, I look at the lad from Crystal Palace as more valuable than Henderson coming in.”