Chelsea Turned Upside-Down With A Change In Ownership
In March 2022, Chelsea FC was seized by the UK government. The top British club was taken from Roman Abramovich due to sanctions imposed on Russians as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. This brought Abramovich’s 19-year ownership of the club to an end. Abramovich was a loved and cherished owner by the fans. He was an owner who had been truly committed to Chelsea’s success.
As a result of Abramovich’s exit, the future of Chelsea was highly uncertain. The UK government held onto the asset and the uncertainty led to significant levels of instability within the club itself.
After just two months without an owner, an American billionaire, Todd Boehly, swooped in and bought the club for £4.25 billion. A new owner with existing experience in the ownership of sports team, there was potential for greatness. Unfortunately, however, Boehly has only added to the pre-existing instability at Chelsea after the sanction fiasco.
Very soon into his tenure, Boehly sacked Chelsea’s manager Thomas Tuchel. This was after Tuchel reportedly refused him entrance into the dressing room at half time. This must’ve struck a nerve with the American as Tuchel was fired by the next week. Boehly wanted to make his mark on the west London side. He wanted his rules to apply and wanted to make it clear that he was the one in charge. It can be argued that Todd was valuing himself more than the stability of the club.
Spending like crazy
Boehly only created further instability through the aggressive spending tactic he has employed since his ownership began. Since buying the club, Boehly has spent a record £1 billion. He has bought a plethora of players at a rapid pace. Buying so many players so quickly has not provided time for the managers, nor the players to adjust to the drastic changes. This was by no means a measured rebuild of the club. He even spent a whopping £21 million to bring in Graham Potter and his staff to Chelsea, only for them to all be gone except for 2 members of Potter’s staff. The consequences of this have become evident in terms of how poorly Chelsea have performed since the start of Boehly’s ownership.
Chelsea’s worst season since 1994
In the 2022/23 season, Chelsea finished in 12th place, the lowest position they have come since 1994. After their 1-0 loss at home to Aston Villa 24th September, this marks the 13th game in the Premier League this year in which Chelsea have been unable to find the back of the net. The club is in a mess which needs to be sorted as soon as possible.
Injuries affecting Chelsea’s performance
A significant amount of the criticism for Chelsea’s lack of success has been aimed directly at Boehly, when in reality, the club is also facing the normal issues which any football club faces: injuries.
Many top players for Chelsea are currently out of action including the likes of Reece James, Wesley Fofana, Christopher Nkunku and Trevoh Chalobah. A shocking twelve players missed Chelsea’s recent game against Aston Villa due to injuries. Trevo Chabolah’s personal trainer has argued that the long list of injuries has to do with how the players are being trained at club. The validity of this comment is hard to judge as it is likely coming from a biased, frustrated perspective. Regardless of how the players are training, many are out of action and this is undoubtedly negatively affecting the club as a whole and their performance in the Premier League.
What are the solutions for Chelsea?
One of the greatest potential solutions is through the hiring of Mauricio Pochettino. A world-class manager with great experience in the Premier League. After their match with Aston Villa, Pochettino said that the owners need to “Give me time because I didn’t see the owners after the game. Of course, they have to support our plan.” In reference to Chelsea, he has also said that “we need to grow up like a team, not only in an individual way”.
It is now time for Boehly to hold back. To stop spending so aggressively and to allow the team to develop in a more natural way. The players need time to come together as one and understand Pochettino’s play style. Now that the money has been spent, it is time for Chelsea to consolidate. They need to instil a sense of stability which should enable them to return to the top team they once were
With time, injuries will subside and eventually players will return to the first team squad. Once players such as Reece James and Nkunku return to the pitch, they should surely break Chelsea’s goalless campaign. The club’s trajectory should hopefully change for the better.
The greatest solution for Chelsea is time itself. To give time to Pochettino so that he can form the squad in his unique way. To give time to the players which have just been signed so that they can adjust to the club. To give time for the team to come together united and become a strong force on the pitch.
Boehly has shown little patience thus far and has tried to rush the process. Now it is time to consolidate upon the assets they have and build Chelsea back to what it once was.
