Ever since Todd Boehly and the Clearlake Capital group took over the control of London club Chelsea, their spending has been as phenomenal as their managerial changes have been highly irregular, as has their transfer policy.
It has not however, actually really made much of a dent in their Premier League performances, and finishes, given Boehly seems to equate spending with success and it appears that in the English game of football, that is not entirely true. There is a little bit more to our beautiful game than cash alone – a manager, a game plan, players who care, team spirit – not those who walk onto a pitch thing about their bank balance, their next move or what car they might buy. A well run club cannot have the same distractions in the boardroom either.
Even well known squad builder, Mauricio Pochettino, has now been dispensed with and there are certainly those in the wider world of football who find that to be one of their more curious moves, particularly as he had them on a better upward curve towards the end of the 2023/24 campaign.
But here Chelsea are again, and they begin from the start and if the rumour mill is to be believed, they may now well soon be under the charge of relatively unknown Leicester City manager Enzo Maresca. Few are excited it seems.
The issue for Chelsea fans could be in the fact that their existing concerns that ‘the manager’ is simply a figurehead and a potential ‘yes man’ for the new board’s desires to play a proverbial computer game have now been proven true as managerless, it is totally expected that they will soon complete the signing of Tosin Adarabioyo.
Computer games have cheat codes and editors, a board with no knowledge of our game normally results in a club falling foul of financial regulations and dropping down divisions, and Stamford Bridge seems to be at the point now where even firebrand success, Jose Mourinho, would say he wants a quiet life.
The 26 year old former Manchester City Academy graduate was impressive as a youngster during a loan spell with West Bromwich Albion, but he made his name at current club Fulham, but in turning down a new lucrative deal, Newcastle and Manchester United were linked, but he reportedly wants European football.
It is in no way a bad signing for Chelsea from a neutral perspective, but if you are not neutral why are the club again making signings that a manager has not signed off on – when the manager is always the problem, and not the board’s transfer strategy?
I cannot be the only person asking that question as I sit here and wonder how they are complying with Financial Fair Play? Do Manchester City need to ask them for advice?