Big spending Chelsea’s woes have continued despite their lavish spending in the January transfer window. The London outfit were held to a goalless draw on Friday (February 3) as Fulham earned themselves another credible draw at Stamford Bridge. The draw means that Chelsea will stay below their West London rivals in the Premier League nine points off fourth place Manchester United.
Fulham frustrate Chelsea
Fulham had ended a near-17 year wait for a win in this west London derby last month at Craven Cottage and while they couldn't complete a first-ever league double over Chelsea, they added another point to their impressive tally on their return to the top-flight.
Chelsea came close, with Kai Havertz hitting a post in the first half and Conor Gallagher and David Datro Fofana agonisingly unable to convert late on but despite spending a record £322m in the January transfer window, this was an illustration there will be no quick fix for Graham Potter's side.
Fofana was one of five winter-window arrivals on show over the course of the game, and while British transfer record signing Enzo Fernandez impressed just days after his £106.8m move - and almost scored with a fine effort from distance - £88.5m Mykhailo Mudryk struggled to get involved and was taken off at half-time in his first home game for the Blues. Potter later revealed the Ukraine international had been suffering with a "heavy cold".
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Chelsea bench fails to deliver
Like Fofana, Noni Madueke, a £29m purchase from PSV, added some spark to Chelsea's attack, along with fit-again Raheem Sterling, but with just seven goals in their last 12 Premier League games Chelsea remain toothless in the final third and, although they're now up to ninth in the table, the nine-point gap to Manchester United, who have a game in hand, is looking increasingly difficult to overcome.
After almost two weeks without a game, Chelsea supporters headed to Stamford Bridge in anticipation of seeing their side boosted and perhaps transformed by their record January transfer outlay, with the World Cup's best young player Fernandez the star attraction.
