{"id":5723,"date":"2026-09-22T11:00:30","date_gmt":"2026-09-22T11:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=5723"},"modified":"2026-09-22T11:00:30","modified_gmt":"2026-09-22T11:00:30","slug":"micah-richards-says-chelsea-made-a-mistake-in-the-summer-which-is-now-hurting-them","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/footballars.xyz\/?p=5723","title":{"rendered":"Micah Richards says Chelsea made a ‘mistake’ in the summer which is now hurting them"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Chelsea\u2019s summer transfer window started very well, however Micah Richards believes they made a mistake which is now costing them this season.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Plenty were impressed when the Blues started signing players with Premier League experience under their belt. Morgan Rogers, Maxence Lacroix and Danny Welbeck all joined the club early in the window.<\/p>\n

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However, the midfield position is one that was clearly neglected, and Enzo Fernandez\u2019s late exit<\/a> put the Blues in somewhat of a crisis.<\/p>\n

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How would you rate Xabi Alonso’s first weeks at Stamford Bridge?<\/h3>\n

What has worked, and what needs improving? \ud83e\udd14<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

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Chelsea\u2019s midfield transfer woes are hurting them, says Micah Richards<\/h2>\n

The fact the Argentine only moved to Manchester City on deadline day gave Chelsea<\/a> very little time to sign a replacement.<\/p>\n

Micah Richards believes this was a major error, and told \u2018The Rest is Football\u2019<\/a> that he believes they should have brought in a replacement before selling the 2022 World Cup winner.<\/p>\n

He said: \u201cI think it was a mistake, Chelsea letting Enzo Fernandez go without replacing him. Caicedo is a wonderful player. Lavia also is a very good player, but he struggled with injuries over the last couple of seasons. I think they should have brought someone in before letting Enzo go.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut it was too late, when you\u2019ve got Barco and then you\u2019ve got Henderson, who\u2019s a really good experienced pro, but the way they want to play with a high energy, having an old and someone young, the balance in midfield didn\u2019t look right, and then at the back, they looked all over the place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Chelsea thought they had a deal in place to sign Lamine Camara<\/a> from Monaco in the final minutes of the transfer window, only for the Ligue 1 club to pull the plug on the deal.<\/p>\n

There is optimism that Moises Caicedo will be fit and firing<\/a> for the Blues after the extended international break. He is yet to start a game for them this season due to an ongoing injury concern.<\/p>\n

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Chelsea need to invest in the midfield areas<\/h2>\n

Who starts alongside the Ecuador international is a more interesting conundrum. So far, all of Romeo Lavia, Reece James, Malo Gusto, Valentin Barco and Jordan Henderson have started in midfield.<\/p>\n

The Belgian would likely be the first choice for Xabi Alonso, however there are constant doubts regarding his own fitness. He is still yet to complete 90 competitive minutes in a Chelsea shirt.<\/p>\n

It looks as if the Spaniard is going to have to make do with his options so far, before the club go big again in a future transfer window.<\/p>\n

Adam Wharton and Alex Scott remain transfer targets, with a potential pre-agreement for Scott already being discussed before the window opens again in January.<\/p>\n

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