Chelsea set transfer rule which meant they wouldn't even look at James Maddison or James Ward-Prowse | The Sun

CHELSEA reportedly set a transfer rule this summer which meant they did not even consider James Maddison or James Ward-Prowse.

The Blues chairman Todd Boehly has seen the team collect just five points from six Premier League games.

There may be a reason why the Blues have been suffering this term even though they recruited record signings this summer.

Chelsea chairman Boehly took a huge risk before the summer by putting in place an age limit on signings.

According to The Telegraph, Chelsea set a 25-and-under rule on their incoming summer business as the club look to build a squad that could see them through the next decade.

But this decision has seen Mauricio Pochettino's squad struggling to escape the bottom half of the Premier League table and currently lie 14th.

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The rule meant stars like Maddison, 26, and Ward-Prowse, 28, who have flourished at Spurs and West Ham respectively, were never really considered at Stamford Bridge.

The report also revealed Pochettino's side backed away from what they felt to be an English premium placed on Declan Rice who was former head coach Graham Potter's top target.

Instead, Chelsea ended up paying more for 21-year-old Cole Palmer than Spurs spent on Maddison.

And paid an initial £53million for 19-year-old Romeo Lavia, which is roughly £20million more than Ward-Prowse cost West Ham.

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Chelsea then made a record-breaking deal by signing 21-year-old Moises Caicedo in a £115million deal.

The youth and inexperience of the team can best be shown with 22-year-old Nicholas Jackson who has been booked five times in his first six games and will now serve a suspension.

And to top it off Pochettino's side is faced with an injury crisis as 12 players have been ruled out in the opening weeks of the season.

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