Chelsea nearly signed “one of the best in the world”

The 2022/23 season was a monumental one at Chelsea for many different reasons, the ownership’s first full season in control of the club, managerial changes and lots of heavy investment. However, the summer window in 2022 and the January 2023 windows were massively contrasting in approach.

The Blues made plenty of big signings during this first window, spending around £250.6m on eight permanent new signings, the top three most expensive being already in the Premier League, looking to have an instant impact on the side.

But heading into the January window, with Chelsea then having Paul Winstanley overseeing the transfer strategy alongside the board, the Blues looked to make a pivot in their approach, going from the more established stars to more up-and-coming names.

What went wrong for Chelsea in the 2023 January window

Switching their strategy, the Blues spent another €329.50m (£274.4m) on seven permanent signings, all aged 22 and under. João Félix was the only player above 22 years old signed that month, but it was on a six-month loan deal.

Enzo Fernández, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos and David Datro Fofana were all signed in the window. All of these players fell into the category of upcoming stars who could either play a part now or develop into a part of the squad in time.

But things could have been very different with one signing, as Mhykailo Mudryk joined Chelsea in the January 2023 window, and has struggled to find his best form since.

However, just six months prior, Chelsea wanted to sign a different winger, who is now seen as “one of the best in the world” by Brazil legend, Romario.

One that got away

The transfers that nearly happened but never did. This article is part of Football FanCast’s One That Got Away series.

When Chelsea missed out on one of the best wingers

Chelsea were interested in signing Raphinha in the summer of 2022, even reaching an agreement with Leeds United for a fee of around £60m plus £5m add-ons.

However, the Brazilian chose to join Barcelona instead, stating “my dream was to wear the Barcelona shirt“.

Since then, it’s safe to say he’s become an elite player, one who’s considerably better than Mudryk.

Raphinha is now having a stellar season for Barcelona, truly coming into his own under new manager, Hansi Flick, who is using him to his best abilities.

The 28-year-old has made 35 appearances so far throughout 2024/25, scoring 24 goals, providing 15 assists and totaling 2,848 minutes played.

When you compare the underlying metrics to those of Mudryk this season, you can see the difference in their level, with the Brazilian sensation ranking higher in every metric analysed apart from xAG (expected assisted goals) and progressive carries, and this is also whilst considering most of Mudryk’s minutes have been in the UEFA Conference League against weaker opponents.

Whilst there is every chance Mudryk could have become one of the very best with his raw talent and athletic qualities, Raphinha has proven himself at the very top level now, and things for Chelsea could have been much rosier had they signed the winger in 2022.

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