Pairing together Chelsea's recent ethos of spend first, worry later under Todd Boehly and a history of loaning out a whopping 41 players at one time back in 2019 – it comes as no surprise that sometimes talent can slip through the Blues' net.
However, it's more unbearable than ever when said talent sits right under a club's nose. Today's agonising focus is a prime example in the face of the west London club's recent stagnation.
How much have Chelsea spent?
Well, if you got lost in the constant stream of moves to Stamford Bridge (we don't blame you), Chelsea spent £345.9m this summer alone. The eight moves that followed last season's especially insatiable expenditure saw Todd Boehly's total as owner now approach the billion pound mark.
One flagship capture, of course, was that of Brighton's 21-year-old Moises Caicedo. After gaining attention in a progressive Roberto Di Zerbi side as a hardworking midfield warrior, the Ecuadorian sparked a dramatic bidding war between Liverpool and Chelsea.
Eventually, he chose Stamford Bridge as his new home and penned a jaw-dropping eight-year contract with the option for an additional year, in a move that totalled £115m.
The size of the fee was emphasised further by Caicedo's boyhood club Independiente del Valle. After smartly inserting a sell-on clause, they are set to receive around £22m for a player they let go to Brighton for just £4m.
Unfortunately, Caicedo's impact has been a little underwhelming so far with just two starts to his name. What they could do for another of the summer's big money movers in Declan Rice…
Why did Declan Rice leave Chelsea?
Back in 2013, Chelsea painstakingly released a 14-year-old Declan Rice. England's centurion and Arsenal's new fan favourite started his footballing life at Cobham back in 2006.
Rice was so naturally adept that, despite never playing organised football as a child, he was still good enough for Chelsea's academy. He played alongside fellow midfielder Mason Mount, and began an infamous friendship with the now-Manchester United man.
Where Mount was the youthful poster boy, Rice was released in 2013 and perhaps, as the player claims, it was down to his slender height at the time. In disbelief at Chelsea's blasé nature (Rice is still uncertain as to why), West Ham emphatically signed the youngster.
With new opportunities, a welcome growth spurt, and success in the Hammers' development sides – Rice took just two years to break into the first team.
Just how good is Declan Rice now?
West Ham steadily showed prying Premier League eyes Declan Rice's capabilities. From 2015 until his move to Arsenal this summer in a £100m transfer, Rice amassed over 200 league appearances for West Ham and capped his final emotional term with victory in UEFA's Europa Conference League.
Rice's final season illustrated his level as Opta statisticians included him in their team of the season. Featuring as the sole West Ham representative, Rice won possession more than anyone else (334 times), and made the most interceptions (63).
Meanwhile, he ranked ahead of Caicedo in some key midfield metrics, sitting second for ball carries (702), ball carry distance (7,136m) and ball carry progress distance (3,827m) behind only Rodri when it came to positional peers. It's safe to say that letting him go was a big mistake from Chelsea's point of view.
Rice also covered extensive distance. His third-highest rank of 412km is nearly the equivalent of running 10 marathons. It's clear why some journalists, including the Telegraph's Sam Dean, have been quick to label the midfielder a "monster."
Evidently, letting a player go for free and seeing him become a world-beater will be a bitter pill to swallow. With Chelsea's recent spending spree, it would be quick (and probably harsh) to say that they haven't learned from their mistakes either. In one regard, that statement rings true with numerous talents having been overlooked by a club and owner who likes the flash of new toys.
Yet, with the Americanised notion of vast multi-year contracts, Boehly looks to be instilling the best young talent for a long time to come – creating a new-money developmental side of the game not quite seen before.