How dramatically things have changed from the summer of arrivals that was greeted with excitement, even if the twists and turns did catch fans by surprise.
As reported by The Guardian in their analysis of the record-breaking £1.9 billion spend by Premier League clubs, Chelsea's new ownership led by Todd Boehly contributed an estimated £255m to that huge sum.
Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Marc Cucurella, Carney Chukwuemeka, Wesley Fofana and Pierre-Emerick Aubamyeang were the standout additions among that summer spend, which could have included more. Two months after transfer deadline day there has been ample opportunity to assess the new additions and how they have fit in.
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Raheem Sterling started the best, scoring four goals in his first eight appearances. Koulibaly scored a brilliant volley against Spurs but a couple of impressive displays were undermined by a silly second yellow in the dismal defeat to Leeds. Cucurella gained praise early on under Thomas Tuchel but has looked less convincing since Graham Potter arrived. Any analysis of Fofana was cut short by a knee injury that has ruled him out until after the World Cup, whilst Aubameyang has raised expectations following goals against Crystal Palace and AC Milan.
They have all had highs and lows, very much in keeping with a turbulent start to the campaign for the rest of the squad already present before they arrived. Though there already seems to be a harsh verdict brewing that Chelsea's spend was for nothing: the summer was a complete waste of time.
This was likely born out of no league win in three games, massively hurt by the embarrassment at the AMEX Stadium over the weekend that saw Chelsea lose convincingly 4-1 to the club Potter left in September to become Chelsea head coach. It was a humbling day, one where Cucurella struggled against his former side and Sterling failed to influence proceedings.
There is context to be had here. On Cucurella, he has been playing in a left centre-back role recently due to an injury suffered by Koulibaly before the Man United game. There has also been the Spaniard's own health setbacks, suffering an illness over the international break that Potter explained left him hospitalised.
On Sterling, his wingback role has maybe been one of Potter's early tactical mishaps, keeping the forward away from dangerous areas, something he showed in both games against Milan last month when playing closer to Aubameyang. Koulibaly has had some poor displays but he has also shown the defensive qualities that have made him one of Europe's best-regarded figures across the last decade.
Aubameyang has probably done better than people expected and Chukwuemeka is slowly gaining opportunities when many anticipated he could become a forgotten figure after leaving Aston Villa.
We factor into that a sudden change in head coach and a congested schedule that is soon to be halted by a unique World Cup. How can we seriously determine if Chelsea's summer business was a failure with a sample size of only 14 league games once we break for international football?
Chelsea fans have every right to be critical of the transfer business over the past decade, a lot of it has not worked out well. But there needs to be a bigger period to work off of, it feels flippant to dismiss the talent acquired when almost all of them have shown some positive signs in periods so far.
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