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Chelsea's £236m transfer woes scrutinised after PSG masterclass vs Bayern Munich
Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich served up an attacking masterclass on Tuesday evening in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final
CommentsChelseaopinionBobby Vincent Senior Chelsea reporter11:45, 29 Apr 2026
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Two teams have done that more than most: Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich. So when the two European titans locked horns at Parc des Princes in the first leg of the Champions League semi-final on Tuesday night, it seemed destined to be an unforgettable experience.
So it proved – and then some. With two attacking managers in Luis Enrique and Vincent Kompany, and the offensive talent on the pitch – Ousmane Dembele, Kvicha Kvaratskhelia, Harry Kane and Michael Olise, to name a few – it was always going to be an extraordinary spectacle in the French capital.
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It was a nine-goal thriller in Paris; finishing 5-4 to the reigning European champions. The most goals ever scored in a Champions League semi-final first leg. One could make an argument for any one of four or five players for their star of the show, but nobody shined as bright as Kvaratskhelia.
The Georgian winger scored twice – with two deadly finishes – on Tuesday night to help PSG take the advantage into next week's return leg. Chelsea themselves found out earlier this year everything Kvaratskhelia is about – with the PSG wide man, formerly of Napoli, scoring three goals against the Blues over the course of the two legs of their last-16 tie.
The 25-year-old then scored in PSG's first-leg victory over Liverpool in the quarter-finals, before his masterclass against Bayern this week. Kvaratskhelia is one of, if not the, best left-sided wingers in world football at the moment. Every manager would love to have someone like him in their team.
Not only is he deadly in the box; but his work rate out of possession, his frightening pace, his directness and bravery – he is the complete package. BlueCo, the consortium that owns Chelsea, are trying to get something close to him in their team, with each passing transfer window.
Since the consortium bought Chelsea almost four years ago, the club have spent around £236million on five different left wingers – each one with the aim to take the Blues' attack to the next level. BlueCo's first major signing at Stamford Bridge saw experienced attacker Raheem Sterling arrive from Manchester City in a £50m deal.
It was a move that seemed to please Chelsea supporters at the time but it ended on a sour note. While Sterling made 81 appearances for the Blues in all competitions during his three-and-a-half years in west London, the 31-year-old was frozen out of the first-team setup for the final 12-or-so months.
Sterling's last senior appearance for Chelsea came in May 2025 before being informed he was not a part of the first-team plans by Enzo Maresca. The former England international was then frozen out for 18 months before completing a move to Feyenoord in January.
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It wasn't all bad for Sterling, who played in various positions across the front line during his time at Chelsea. In his debut season, he managed six goals before scoring eight the following campaign. Those numbers, albeit in under-performing Chelsea sides, were not good enough, though, as BlueCo looked to add more threat from the wings.
In January 2023, Chelsea splashed out a staggering £89m to Shakhtar Donetsk to sign the highly-rated Mykhailo Mudryk. Wanted by Arsenal prior to his move to Stamford Bridge, the Ukraine international arrived in west London with huge expectations on his shoulders.
While he showed glimpses of his talent during his time on the pitch, including a hugely excited debut appearance off the bench at Anfield, Chelsea supporters were always left wanting more from Mudryk. There was a sense he could eventually explode. That, or the Blues had wildly overpaid for the speedy winger.
More than three years on from Chelsea bringing Mudryk to the club and there is so much uncertainty around the Ukrainian. Mudryk has not kicked a ball competitively for the Blues since November 2024 after he was charged by the Football Association last summer due to anti-doping violations.
View 4 ImagesWe do not know when we will see Mudryk again, and whether that will be for Chelsea, but the longer all of this goes on, that seems more unlikely. Either way, Chelsea have not got good value for the £89m spent more than three years ago.
Mudryk's suspension left the west Londoners short on the left-hand side and they acted by signing Jadon Sancho on loan from Manchester United. Chelsea did not pay United a loan fee for Sancho when he arrived, but had a £25m obligation to buy the former Borussia Dortmund winger.
Sancho, though, could never really get going under Maresca in his one season with the club. Chelsea decided to pay £5m to United to cancel the obligation in the deal – and that speaks volumes about his time at Stamford Bridge, albeit he did finish the campaign positively.
Chelsea decided to go a different way instead. Two left wingers joined the club last summer. First came Jamie Gittens, signed for £52m from Borussia Dortmund, before the Blues went back to Man United and agreed a £40m deal to add Alejandro Garnacho to their squad.
Neither signing gripped supporters. There was a bit more excitement when it came to Gittens; perhaps because he was more of an unknown quantity than Garnacho, who had his work cut out for him as soon as he arrived at Stamford Bridge.
Some supporters wrote Garnacho off before he even kicked a ball for the club – making it increasingly difficult for the Argentine to prove himself in the capital. The 21-year-old has potential but is too wasteful in the final third and that has infuriated supporters in recent weeks especially.
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As for Gittens, he showed glimpses of his talent before he picked up a hamstring injury at the end of January. The 21-year-old winger has not played since then and it is unclear whether he will again this season in what has been a really tricky second half of his debut campaign.
While some fans have already written Garnacho off, some are prepared to be more patient with Gittens due to his misfortune with injuries this year. Either way, neither have set the world alight this season and face interesting summers.
As do Chelsea, who once again might have to dive into the transfer market for another left-sided winger. Staggeringly: £236m has been spent on left wingers for a return of 33 goals combined in a four-year period. That's £7.15m per goal.
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Bobby Vincent
Bobby has been reporting on Chelsea since May 2022. In that time, he has been front and centre in perhaps the club's most turbulent time with Roman Abramovich forced to sell, with Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital buying the Blues. Bobby is a regular at press conferences and matches, where he speaks to Liam Rosenior and numerous Chelsea players.
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