Twenty-one outgoings, 11 new arrivals and four hundred and fifty million Great British Pounds later, another bewildering transfer window has come to a close for Chelsea Football Club. Just when you thought things couldn't get any more absurd under Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali's stewardship, the west Londoners have broken the British transfer record for the second time in seven months and huge sums have been splurged on a host of relatively inexperienced new faces.
But this time there has been some method to the madness; Chelsea's clear-out is all-but complete and has been carried out with ruthless efficiency. The £200 million ($254m) raised through player sales will be invaluable in the struggle to fall in line with Financial Fair Play (FFP).
For what it's worth, as the dust settles, head coach Mauricio Pochettino is satisfied. "If we see the squad [now], yes [it is balanced]," he said. "With all the injured players, maybe I cannot say that's the perfect balance. With the players available, I am so happy because we have good balance."
So how should Chelsea reflect on the most dramatic and chaotic transfer window in its history?