Gus Poyet believes Chelsea’s recruitment strategy changed because the owners realised “what the fans want”.

The former Chelsea midfielder has also praised the club’s owners for their highest-profile signings, claiming all three players purchased under BlueCo that cost north of £100million have proven shrewd investments.

Chelsea’s most expensive signings since Roman Abramovich’s May 2022 sale of the club have been Enzo Fernandez from Benfica for £106.8m, Moises Caicedo from Brighton for £115m, and the July arrival of Morgan Rogers from Aston Villa for a club-record £117m. They sold Fernandez to Manchester City this summer for £125m.

Todd Boehly and fellow co-owner Mark Walter sold their shares in the club in September to Chelsea’s other co-owner party, Clearlake Capital.

During the Clearlake-Boehly ownership under the BlueCo umbrella, Chelsea’s transfer strategy was strongly tilted towards signing almost exclusively young players and selling them on.

However, they shifted away from that strategy this summer by signing 36-year-old Jordan Henderson and 35-year-old Danny Welbeck.

“I agree [the £100m signings have succeeded], but you would be unhappy if you paid £100m [for a player] and he wasn’t good enough,” Poyet said.

Change in approach: Jordan Henderson has made an impressive start to life at Chelsea

PA

“But I think the approach has changed a little bit. I remember the first [few] years of the new owners, it was all young players and long-term, massive contracts, which, depending on the character, works or does not.

“I think now they are looking more for specifics. They would not have signed Henderson three or four years ago.

“That shows they have realised that investment was important, the future is important, but today [their strategy] is what the fans want. They do not want tomorrow. The fans want today.”

Poyet, who played 145 times for Chelsea between 1997 and 2001, was speaking to Standard Sport in conjunction with Gambling.com. He continued: “It has been a mix, and it is showing that there is a balanced group now.

“You have got some young players, but you have also got experienced ones who have been around [for] a few years already. Now is a matter of consistency.”

Chelsea host another of Poyet’s former teams, Tottenham, at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League on Saturday, with the Blues hoping to make it three wins on the bounce since their return from the extended international break.