Did Chelsea spend the summer barking up the wrong tree?

Samuel Eto’o looks on during the Barclays Premier League match between Everton and Chelsea at Goodison Park on September 14, 2013 in Liverpool, England. He has struggled to find the back of the net so far. (Getty Images)

On the face of it, any squad containing the likes of Juan Mata, Oscar, Eden Hazard, Andre Schürrle, Willian and Kevin de Bruyne shouldn’t really be struggling for goals. But in the case of Chelsea, that is exactly what is happening, as there are seemingly too many cooks, who are intent on spoiling the broth.

Whilst Chelsea’s summer was no doubt dominated by the whole Wayne Rooney transfer saga, they still ended up spending over £70m on eight players. And yet, Samuel Eto’o was the only striker that was signed in the summer, if you discount the seventeen-year-old Croatian striker Stipe Perica.

Having already inherited a squad that was brimming with creativity, the signings of Schürrle and Willian, looked like an expensive luxury, that they could have done without. When it was fairly obvious, that it was up front, where they need reinforcements.

A striking trio consisting of an out of form strikers struggling to adjust to Chelsea’s style is hardly one that would strike fear in the hearts of the opposition. Whilst Eto’o is without a doubt a quality centre forward, at 32, he is hardly the long-term solution they were looking for.

The Cameroonian’s age, coupled with the fact that he has been playing in Russia, meant that he would definitely take time to settle in and his signature spoke of desperation more than anything else, as Chelsea went in search of a quick fix.

Whilst the decision to loan out Romelu Lukaku again, might not be one of Mourinho’s best decisions, it was made to look worse than it is, mainly because of his lack of options up front; even their public pursuit of Rooney, smacked of desperation.

Because, Chelsea would have known that, United would never have sold him to a direct rival, irrespective of the amount. And it just looked like a ploy to appease the fans into thinking that they tried, when in fact, they knew even before they started that, they never had a chance of signing him.

Looking back, it almost looks as if Chelsea weren’t really interested in signing a striker at all in the summer when in fact, that was the only place, where some competition could have lifted the entire squad.

Instead, they spent all their money on two more attacking midfielders, who are surplus to requirements. And that has clearly reflected in their start to the season, which has seen them lose three straight games and looked lacklustre in the finishing department.

A quick look at Chelsea’s games this season would clearly indicate that heart of the problem. The fact is that there are just too many creators and too little finishers. That has meant that although they have created chance after chance, they didn’t have anyone to put them away, as was the case at Everton, when they registered over 20 attempts on goal, with only five hitting the target.

The problem for Chelsea is that Eto’o, who still isn’t fully ready to withstand the rigours of the Premier League, looks like the only one capable of providing that finishing touch. And although they have spent a lot in the summer, with the creativity already at their disposal, they would have been better served going for another striker or two, to bang in the goals.

Only time will tell, if Chelsea plans of going through an entire season, without any 20-goal a season striker, will work out or not.