<p>The situation at <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> seems to be getting worse each week, and the club’s expensive signing of Enzo Fernandez is turning sour. After recording a net spend of nearly $600 million during the 2022/23 campaign, the Blues only managed to finish 12th in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> table. A majority of the stars purchased during that season were under the age of 23. As a result, many assumed that the club would start to show promise during the current campaign.</p>



<p>This, however, has yet to happen and the 2023/24 season is about 60% complete. Chelsea now sits 11th in the standings following back-to-back losses. The most recent defeat came at the hands of Wolves at Stamford Bridge on Sunday. Not only did the visitors smash the Blues 4-2 in West London, but they moved ahead of Chelsea in the table as well.</p>



<h2>Report claims multiple players do not believe in Chelsea project</h2>



<p>With things not improving for Chelsea, recent reports suggest that several young players are unhappy with their current situation. In a comprehensive piece regarding the team’s precarious situation, <em><a href="https://theathletic.com/5252016/2024/02/06/chelsea-pochettino-eghbali-boehly-thiago/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">The Athletic</a></em> mentions that several stars even regret signing long-term contracts at the club. While the news outlet did not name specific players, they do not believe in the project that was previously sold to them.</p>



<p>Since Todd Boehly bought the team in 2022, the Blues have regularly signed recruits to lengthy deals. This is an amortization technique that allows Chelsea to spread out transfer fees over the entirety of the player’s contract. Nevertheless, Premier League officials <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/premier-league-clubs-pass-new-rule-directly-affecting-chelsea-20231212-WST-476619.html">recently</a> put the kibosh on the maneuver.</p>



<p>Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Mykhaylo Mudryk, and Nicolas Jackson are all currently under contract with Chelsea until the summer of 2031. However, many other new signings also agreed to deals reaching beyond the typical three or four-year length.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><figure class="image"><img loading="lazy" width="1200" height="670" src="https://ds-images.bolavip.com/news/image?src=https://images.worldsoccertalk.com/webp/full/WST_20240206_WST_487973_Mudryk-Fernandez-Chelsea-1200x670_e4d5fc39.webp&amp;width=1200&amp;height=670" alt="" class="wp-image-487994" srcset="https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/Mudryk-Fernandez-Chelsea-1200x670.jpg 1200w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/Mudryk-Fernandez-Chelsea-300x168.jpg 300w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/Mudryk-Fernandez-Chelsea-768x429.jpg 768w, https://worldsoccertalk.cms.futbolsitesnetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2024/02/Mudryk-Fernandez-Chelsea.jpg 1280w" sizes="(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px"></figure></figure>



<h2>Enzo Fernandez and others ready for Chelsea exit</h2>



<p>While <em>The Athletic</em> may have kept the disgruntled players anonymous, <em><a href="https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/uk-premier-league/2024/02/chelsea-transfer-news-enzo-fernandez-jacque-talbot">Football Transfers</a></em> has not. The publication claims that Fernandez, and his agent, are even working on ways to move away from Chelsea shortly. The Argentine midfielder has not exactly lived up to his $130 million transfer fee from a year ago. </p>



<p>This fee was a record incoming for a Premier League club at the time. Chelsea, however, broke the record once again by bringing in Caicedo for around $145 million from <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/brighton-tv-schedule-where-to-watch-the-seagulls/">Brighton</a> back in August. The duo were expected to be a top tandem for new manager Mauricio Pochettino this season. Nevertheless, the duo have not lived up to their lofty expectations.</p>



<p>Pochettino even publicly claimed that the two need to get better quickly. </p>



<p>“The relationship between them needs to improve of course, between them and individually also,” the manager <a href="https://www.footballtransfers.com/en/transfer-news/uk-premier-league/2024/02/chelsea-transfer-news-enzo-fernandez-jacque-talbot" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">said</a> after Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat to Everton in December. “They are young, the expectation is massive when you arrive.”</p>



<p>Along with Fernandez, the aforementioned news source also added that Mudryk asked Chelsea officials for a recent transfer. The Ukrainian talked to team executives about going out on loan during the January transfer market. However, Pochettino and company denied the request. Mudryk has started nine top-flight matches this season, scoring just three goals.</p>



<p>Pochettino and Chelsea will look to get back on track against <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/aston-villa-tv-schedule/">Aston Villa</a> on Wednesday, Jan. 7. The manager <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/pochettino-admits-his-job-is-in-jeopardy-at-chelsea-20240205-WST-487726.html">recently admitted</a> that his job is currently under threat. Nevertheless, the club may be handcuffed due to the financial implications of firing yet another coach.</p>



<p><em>PHOTOS: IMAGO</em>.</p>

Chelsea's $100 million signing among stars wanting out

According to new reports, several high-profile Chelsea players, including Enzo Fernandez, are unhappy with the situation at Stamford Bridge.


<p>Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino has claimed that he has been playing the crossbar challenge with Mykhailo Mudryk to help build the player’s confidence. Mudryk joined the Blues in a deal worth up to $108 million in January. However, the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/nations/ukraine-national-team-tv-schedule/">Ukraine</a> international has not yet managed to score a goal for the club.</p>



<p>Pochettino also revealed during the press conference that he usually beats the winger in the competition. “With Mudryk, I like to play sometimes to [hit] the crossbar from outside the box,” Pochettino <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66933608" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">told</a> reporters on Tuesday.</p>



<p>“He said to me, ‘I don’t want to play anymore with you because you always win.’ I said ‘yes, because I have the belief, and the balance between belief and quality I know very well because I’m 50 years old. You’re still young and you need to know yourself.&apos;”</p>



<p>“[Tuesday] was the first day we draw, because I always won. Now you start to believe in yourself, believe in your quality. If not, it’s difficult to balance belief and quality.”</p>



<h2>Mudryk has yet to nail down a starting spot at Chelsea</h2>



<p><a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a> was able to sign Mudryk during the January transfer window despite intense interest from rivals <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/arsenal-tv-schedule/">Arsenal</a>. In the end, the Blues agreed on a deal with <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/shakhtar-donetsk-tv-schedule-for-us-viewers/">Shakhtar Donetsk</a> by offering more money. Nevertheless, the 22-year-old winger has found life in west London very difficult so far. In fact, Mudryk has no goals and two assists in 22 total appearances for the club. His only time scoring in a Chelsea kit was in the preseason.</p>



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Mykhailo Mudryk scores his first <a href="https://twitter.com/ChelseaFC?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@ChelseaFC</a> goal in style 😎<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PLSummerSeries?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PLSummerSeries</a> <a href="https://t.co/gDrTWWlVPm">pic.twitter.com/gDrTWWlVPm</a></p>— Premier League (@premierleague) <a href="https://twitter.com/premierleague/status/1682924373638799361?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 23, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<p>The Ukrainian, however, is not the only issue at the moment for Chelsea. Despite spending over $1 billion on transfers since Todd Boehly purchased the club, the Blues still sit 14th in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/premier-league-tv-schedule/">Premier League</a> table. Confidence is currently low across the board.</p>



<h2>Pochettino hopes cup match can boost Mudryk, others’ confidence</h2>



<p>Pochettino acknowledged this lack of confidence at the press conference as well. “The problem is we can’t buy confidence at the supermarket,” <a href="https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/66933608" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">proclaimed</a> the coach. “It’s about time. You know how our brains work – it’s about little by little, creating situations where we can provide the trust and the confidence and the belief.”</p>



<p>Chelsea is set to face fellow top-flight club <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/brighton-tv-schedule-where-to-watch-the-seagulls/">Brighton</a> on Wednesday in the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/league-cup-tv-schedule/">Carabao Cup</a>. The Seagulls are currently one of the more exciting teams in all of England at the moment. However, both teams could be set for squad changes for the cup match.</p>



<p><em>PHOTO: IMAGO / News Images</em></p>


Pochettino plays crossbar challenge with Mudryk to build belief

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino claimed he plays crossbar challenge with Mykhailo Mudryk in an attempt to build the player's confidence.

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Chelsea's $100 million signing among stars wanting out

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Pochettino plays crossbar challenge with Mudryk to build belief