"He's proving his worth" – Tim Sherwood claims only one Chelsea star is living up to price tag

Ex-Tottenham Hotspur manager Tim Sherwood has claimed that only Cole Palmer has looked the part out of all the plethora of new arrivals at Chelsea in the past 20 months.

Since the Todd Boehly-led Clearlake Capital's takeover in May 2022, the Stamford Bridge outfit have splashed over £1 billion to refresh their ranks. They have bought the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Moises Caicedo, Christopher Nkunku, Romeo Lavia, Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, and Wesley Fofana for hefty fees since the start of last season.

Speaking recently on The Kelly and Wrighty Show, Sherwood shared his thoughts on Chelsea's business strategy. The 1995 Premier League champion said (h/t The Boot Room):

"Look at those players, do any of those look worth the money that was spent? Palmer possibly. I think he's a good player, he went for the right reasons, he's getting the gametime now and he's proving his worth, but I can't say that about any of the other signings."

Palmer, 21, joined the Blues in a potential £42.5 million deal from Manchester City ahead of the ongoing campaign. He has registered 12 goals and nine assists in 30 games across all competitions for his club.

Mauricio Pochettino's outfit, meanwhile, have struggled to maintain form unlike the aforesaid playmaker. They are currently 11th in the 2023-24 Premier League table with just 35 points from 25 matches so far.

Chris Sutton offers prediction for Chelsea's FA Cup fifth round tie against Leeds United

In his column for the BBC, ex-Blues star Chris Sutton predicted a 2-0 victory for his former club in their FA Cup fifth round match against Leeds United this Wednesday (February 28). He wrote:

"Chelsea really need to win this, after the way they lost the Carabao Cup final on Sunday. It was their display in extra-time that let them down against Liverpool's kids, when they had the chance to really have a go at them. Leeds are going very well under Daniel Farke but he might prioritize their promotion bid over this tie."

Backing the Blues to advance to the last-eight stage, Sutton added:

"The pressure is all on Chelsea and, if they don't win, it is really going to mount on their manager Mauricio Pochettino. I remember being part of a [Blues] team that lost 2-0 to Leeds at Stamford Bridge in the year I was there – it was probably largely down to me. I'm going with the same scoreline, but a home win this time."

Chelsea, who recently lost 1-0 to Liverpool in the EFL Cup final, beat Aston Villa 3-1 in their FA Cup fourth round replay to advance to the last-16 stage. Leeds, on the other hand, triumphed 4-1 over fellow Championship outfit Plymouth Argyle in their fourth round replay.

As for the head-to-head record, Chelsea have won seven and lost just one contest of their last 10 overall meetings against the Whites.