Paul Merson: Chelsea look like they have built a squad based on YouTube clips

In his latest column for Sky Sports, Paul Merson delivers a scathing assessment of Chelsea's recruitment and questions how they will get out of the mess they find themselves in.

Three years ago Chelsea were winning the Champions League and now they are getting thrashed by Arsenal. Not long ago it was Arsene Wenger's 1000th game and Chelsea beat Arsenal 6-0. Look at it now.

If you were reading a book and this was the story you'd throw it in the sea halfway through. You'd go this couldn't happen, it's impossible. You can't be that good, spend a billion pounds and be that bad. You'd say 'this is so far-fetched. It's unbearable'.

To spend a billion pounds on those players… Wow. I mean, I don't know who would sign half of them.

Enzo Fernandez for £100m and £115m on Moises Caicedo. Who's gone out with the vision that these are going to be the best two midfield players in world football? Because they should be for nearly a quarter of a billion pounds. They should run the show every game.

It almost seems like agents are sending videos of a player, five-minute clips, and Chelsea have gone, 'I'll take him. Oh my God, how good is he? Look at his clips. Look at him'.

They've just got a YouTube team together. Like they've looked at clips and put it together and gone, 'this team can play. Look at these.' But it's a million miles off.

It's a waste of time talking about who Chelsea could sign to make things better. How can they?

They'll have to sell their homegrown players like Conor Gallagher, who's played every game and captains the team. He's been one of their most consistent and best players.

They'll probably be able to sell Gallagher for £40-50m and then because of the silly rules they'll be able to buy someone from abroad for £100m.

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