Rio Ferdinand sees Chelsea positives but blasts failure to sign striker – ‘All this money and no No. 9’

Chelsea can take positives from their Champions League defeat to Borussia Dortmund, says Rio Ferdinand, but the pundit questioned the club for splashing the cash without signing a striker.

The Blues created a string of good chances in the last-16 clash at Signal Iduna Park but couldn’t put them away.

The result continued a poor run of form for Potter’s men, who have won two of their last 13 games in all competitions, despite splashing out more than £320m in January on the likes of Enzo Fernandez, Mykhaylo Mudryk and Benoit Badiashile.

“I think he [Potter] will find some positives in there and say: ‘slowly but surely, we’ll get it right’,” Ferdinand said on BT Sport’s Champions League coverage.

“They haven’t got a No. 9 in this team. They spent all this money in the last couple of windows and didn’t go and get an out and out number nine. That’s a problem.

“But I think that’s something that he’ll think long-term, we’ll get that at some point.

“We’re doing everything up to that point really well, the way the team can pass the ball through the lines to get into good areas.

“But they got undone with a clinical bit of finishing that they don’t have in their own team.”

The result leaves Chelsea needing a win to overturn the tie at Stamford Bridge on 7 March.

Before then, Potter’s side face Premier League games against Southampton, Tottenham Hotspur and Leeds United as they look to revive their flagging domestic campaign.

Chelsea sit 10th in the standings after 22 games, 20 points off leaders Manchester City and 10 points outside the top four.