Chelsea have pocketed a £6million profit on Angelo Gabriel this summer - despite the winger never playing in a competitive match.
The 19-year-old was snapped up by the Blues for £13million from Brazilian outfit Santos in July last year, before being shipped out on loan to Strasbourg in Ligue 1 for the 2023/24 campaign. The French side, which came under the ownership of Chelsea's proprietors in 2023, saw Angelo pull on their jersey 24 times across all competitions - though he failed to find the back of the net for the club.
The Brazilian wide man has now sealed a move to Saudi Pro League outfit, and Cristiano Ronaldo's team, Al Nassr in a deal believed to be worth around £19m, giving the Blues a small earning on the player. Chelsea were once again an active participant in this summer's transfer market, with a flurry of arrivals and departures at Stamford Bridge.
The Blues offloaded the likes of Ian Maatsen, Conor Gallager, Lewis Hall, Romelu Lukaku, Omari Hutchinson and Diego Moreira, racking up a combined profit of £192m. Raheem Sterling made a temporary switch to Arsenal, Trevoh Chalobah joined Crystal Palace on loan, and goalkeeper Kepa also took up a season-long stint at Bournemouth.
In return, Enzo Maresca welcomed the likes of Pedro Neto, Joao Felix, Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Filip Jorgensen. Mike Penders, Aaron Anselmino, Renato Veiga, Caleb Wiley and Marc Guiu also made their way to the Bridge with Chelsea shelling out a total of £201m.
Despite the high-profile moves, Chelsea's start to the Premier League has been less than stellar, securing just one win so far, suffering a defeat by Manchester City, and most recently drawing against Crystal Palace at home. While this might unsettle some supporters, Maresca remains unfazed, confident in his management approach and reminding fans that fluctuations in performance are part of the game.
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Post-match, following the draw with Palace, Maresca said: "We completely deserved to win the game with the amount of chances we had. Overall the performance was good. The direction is the correct one."
He also offered perspective on the team's current standing compared to its past glories: "Probably one thing that has to be clear, Chelsea three years ago won the Champions League, but now it is not that kind of Chelsea so now sometimes if you don't win it is normal."
