Paul Merson says he is surprised that Chelsea have not made a bid for Crystal Palace’s Eberechi Eze.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Merson pointed to the fact that the Blues are over-reliant on Cole Palmer and he feels his England teammate could have helped lighten the load:

“I cannot believe Chelsea aren’t going for Eberechi Eze. I really don’t know what I am missing. They buy winger after winger, but they need guile. They need more than Palmer.”

“If you get Eze, you then have two players who can break teams down. They are predictable for me. They play with two quick wingers with Palmer trying to feed them.”

Eze is expected to join a London rival

For most of the summer, the 27-year-old looked set to make the switch to Arsenal, but it is increasingly likely that he will sign for Tottenham instead.

Spurs are currently locked in negotiations with Palace for Eze. They are hoping to pay £55m plus add-ons to secure the player’s signature before the transfer window closes.

Chelsea have their eye on another attacking midfielder

While Merson may be lamenting the fact that the Blues have not brought in a playmaker to support Palmer up until now, the club’s recruitment department are working on it.

They may not be interested in Eze but they have been in talks for several weeks with RB Leipzig about purchasing Xavi Simons.

It is believed that a formal bid for the Netherlands international has not been lodged because Enzo Maresca’s side need to raise funds first.

With Leipzig keen on re-signing Christopher Nkunku, it could well pave the way for Simons’ move to Stamford Bridge. There is now just under two weeks to get these deals done before the deadline.

Read more about the Chelsea First Team Squad for 2025/26 here