Liverpool legend Graeme Souness has slammed Chelsea for spending £170million on defenders in the summer after letting Timo Werner and Romelu Lukaku leave the club.

Souness slammed the club’s recruitment process last summer and insists Graham Potter was not at fault for Chelsea’s underwhelming start to the season. 

Souness said: “What have Chelsea talked about before coming here? They know they’ll be aggressive, they got away with it in the first half but they couldn’t live with Forest when they got aggressive. 

“When you’re in a war out there you’ve got to be a different animal, and they’re not capable of it. The top goal scorers got four goals. Are they a better team without Timo Werner or Lukaku? They’re not scoring any goals.

“If you’ve lost your two strikers and you go out and spend £170 million on defenders, what’s the thinking? Surely a priority when you let Timo Werner and Lukaku going is to get a striker.

“I think Potter needs time. This is not a squad that is equipped to go and win big games of football. Their goal difference is plus two.”

Last summer Chelsea sold Timo Werner back to RB Leipzig for £25m, while Romelu Lukaku returned to Inter Milan on loan.

Souness is baffled by the fact that Chelsea prioritised improving the defence, with Kalidou Koulibaly joining for £33m from Napoli, Marc Cucurella signing from Brighton for £56m and Wesley Fofana moving from Leicester for £69.5m.

Souness added: “No he’s [Havertz] not going to get enough goals. It is madness to sell Timo Werner, Lukaku and then spend £170m on three defenders. Surely you must think, football has never changed. 

“The hardest thing to find is goalscorers. Spending £170m on defenders, if you can afford it go out and do it, but the priority for me is you have sold two strikers, they weren’t the answer not long term or short term, but were better than what they have got right now. You can’t tell me they are better off with the firepower they have got now.”