Former Chelsea star Frank Leboeuf has criticized the club’s recruitment policy under owner Todd Boehly, stating that the American billionaire prioritizes profits over trophies.
Chelsea Have Struggled Under Todd Boehly’s Ownership
Since buying the club from former owner Roman Abramovich, Boehly’s consortium has splurged over £1 billion ($1.3 billion) to bring new players to Stamford Bridge. From 2022 FIFA World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez to Ukrainian winger Mykhailo Mudryk, many young, high-value talents have joined the club over the last couple of years, signing long-term deals. Unfortunately, very few of these individuals have come close to justifying their lofty price tag.
The Pensioners finished 12th in the Premier League last season and failed to go deep into any of the cup competitions. This year, Mauricio Pochettino’s team are toiling in 10th place in the league standings and recently suffered a 1-0 defeat to an injury-struck Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final.
Frank Leboeuf Suggests Money-Minded Owners Are Behind Blues’ Downfall
Speaking to Betfair, Leboeuf first questioned why Boehly and Co. did not sign James Maddison and James Ward-Prowse — players, he believes, would have added real value to Chelsea.
He said (via GOAL):
“I don’t understand what the owners at the club are doing. Why did Chelsea let James Maddison go to Tottenham last summer? Why did they let James Ward-Prowse go to West Ham? Why are they not at Chelsea? These players didn’t cost a lot but they’ve brought a lot to their teams.”
The Frenchman then stated Chelsea had bought the likes of Fernandez, Mudryk, and Moises Caicedo for their future sale potential.
Leboeuf added:
“Chelsea had these options in the transfer market but now we all know that these kinds of players weren’t in their thoughts, they just want to sign young, talented players on long contracts because they want to make money. They don’t want results – and we saw the consequences of this in the [Carabao Cup final] defeat to Liverpool on Sunday.
“Chelsea are not yet a team who are ready to win again. Hopefully losing that final will spark something different in the team. Hopefully, a few of their egos will be hurt and then they will show something different. They can react well and they might have a lot of finals left in their careers for Chelsea, so you have to learn from these experiences. You learn more in defeat than you do in winning even though it is cruel and it hurts.”
The Pensioners have little chance of securing European soccer for next season, but they can still end the season with the prestigious FA Cup. It will be interesting to see if they can show signs of life in their Fifth-Round clash against Leeds United on Wednesday night (February 28).
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