£1billion disaster: Why Todd Boehley not Pochettino is the main problem of Chelsea
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Todd Boehly not Pochettino is the main problem at Chelsea |Photo Credit: Imago

£1billion disaster: Why Todd Boehley not Pochettino is the main problem of Chelsea

Asukwo Oduo 19:54 - 10.12.2023

You can blame Mauricio Pochettino all you want but the issues at Chelsea are far bigger than him.

Chelsea FC suffered yet another defeat in what has become more like a routine - this time losing 2-0 to Everton at Goodison Park.

Before this last capitulation at the hands of a club that got docked ten points, Chelsea have failed to impress, losing 2-1 at Old Trafford. The Blues' best showing of the season came in their 4-4 draw with defending champions Manchester City.

Chelsea got the plaudits and seems to have taken ten steps backward after that impressive performance at Stamford Bridge.

Despite spending over one billion pounds since taking over the reins of ownership from Roman Abramovic, Todd Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali have looked nothing short of clueless - in Nigerian local parlance, they’re a classic example of ‘money miss road.’

Chelsea is beyond clueless Pochettino

Mauricio Pochettino has endured a torrid time since his appointment as Chelsea boss |Photo Credit: Imago

While Mauricio Pochettino is not the main problem at the London club, he has done next to nothing to prove his mettle and cannot be absolved of any blame.

Against Everton, with Reece James out injured, instead of the Argentine manager bringing in a natural replacement in Ian Masteen or Malo Gusto, he decided to go with Marc Cucurella for large portions of the game.

Meanwhile, Chelsea’s midfield has been far too easy to play against - £115m man Moises Caicedo and World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez who cost £106.8m, have struggled to impose themselves in games. Also, Conor Gallagher has been too erratic, picking up unnecessary bookings and failing to cover himself in glory.

Chelsea’s scatter-gun transfer dealings under Todd Boehly 

Todd Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali take a walk after a Chelsea game |Pulsesports.ng
Todd Boehly and co-owner Behdad Eghbali take a walk after a Chelsea game |Photo Credit: Imago

Before the appointment of Mauricio Pochettino, Toed Boehly had employed former Brighton coach Graham Potter to take over from Thomas Tuchel, who won Chelsea the Champions League in 2021.  

Potter failed to convince and after a series of poor results, he was shown the exit door with Chelsea legend Frank Lampard back, as a caretaker manager.

The big question many have asked is - why has Todd Boehly spent that much and still have so many gaps unplugged in his squad?

Did Chelsea really need to buy Romeo Lavia after signing Caicedo? Was there no cheaper alternative to the Ecuadorian in the first place? How much value has Marc Cucurella, Chukwuemeka, Noni Madueke, Mudryk, and others added to the Blues since their arrival?

The obvious answer is that their signing was just an ego thing - yes, it was all about Todd Boehly getting whoever he wanted with his fat chequebook. It was all about depriving rival clubs of any player he feels would be a threat. Todd Boehly seems to be saying, “If they want him, we want him too, and at any cost, we would pay.”

Arsenal were in the hunt for Ukrainian Mykhailo Mudryk; Chelsea snatched him from their grasp. Caicedo was on his way to Liverpool to sign a deal - Chelsea showed up again, flexing their financial muscles.

Interestingly, all of these has come to bite or is still biting Chelsea, and they’re learning that signing all the big-name players in the world would bring zero returns on investment if it’s not carefully planned. 

Todd Boehly needs to learn from Roman Abramovic 

Chelsea were a dominant force in Europe under Roman Abramovic |Pulsesports.ng
Chelsea were a dominant force in Europe under Roman Abramovic |Photo Credit: Imago

Many football fans would probably remember Roman Abramovic as a ruthless man, but in actual sense, he was a shrewd businessman, and only results mattered to him. 

When Abramovic took over Chelsea in 2003, former coach Claudio Ranieri, though beloved, had to give way to Portuguese tactician Jose Mourinho. Despite being a huge success at Stamford Bridge Mourinho too had to go when results were no longer forthcoming.

Big-name players arrived Stamford Bridge under Abramovic's guidance, but they were players that fit the culture and style of play at Chelsea; they were players hungry for success and not just looking to pick a paycheque.

It was a team obsessed with high performance and positive results on the field of play - it is this culture that has delivered five Premier League titles, two UCL trophies, 5 FA Cups, 3 League Cups, 2 Europa League titles, 1 FIFA Club World Cup, and others in 19 years. 

Today, many of the players at Chelsea lack the passion (take a look at Liverpool, who are now the comeback kings in England), cohesion, and drive to play for the club.

If Toed Boehly wants to succeed at Chelsea, he should put his ego aside and focus on the basics because not all problems answer to a fat chequebook. 

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