Most Premier League owners aren’t involved in day-to-day operations, but Chelsea’s Todd Boehly is not most owners.
“Todd comes into the changing room in every game,” goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga said, per The Guardian. “He has different chats with us after different games.”
Saturday’s chat — after a 2-1 loss to Brighton, spurred by a Julio Enciso wonder strike — appears to have taken a negative turn.
The Telegraph reported that Boehly’s tone in the dressing room was harsh.
The billionaire owner — an American businessman and investor — reportedly criticized Chelsea’s players and referred to their season as “embarrassing.” Insiders told The Guardian that he singled out an unnamed player, one who had joined the team within the past year. The outlet believes that the player is now disillusioned with 11th-place Chelsea.
Over the past two years, Boehly has spent roughly $740M on transfer fees and signings. From his perspective, his investment in Chelsea is significant and serious, but the on-field results haven’t matched it.
It’s an understandable stance on paper, but it falls apart upon closer inspection.
Boehly’s massive financial investment wasn’t required by Chelsea and came directly after he warned the team to expect a period of “austerity.” It wasn’t necessary to keep up with other teams, as none spent significant money in the most recent transfer window.
The vast majority of Chelsea’s money was tied up in long-term contracts for Enzo Fernández and Mykhailo Mudryk, neither of whom was needed by the team in the first place. The owner somehow never thought to purchase a reliable out-and-out striker — the biggest hole in the Chelsea lineup by far.
The Telegraph also reported that Boehly’s performative anger may well have been meant to motivate Chelsea for its Champions League match against Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Interim coach Frank Lampard seems unbothered by Boehly’s dressing room fury.
“There may have been some criticism of our old owner for not coming to games, not being around, and that wasn’t always true, to be fair,” he said, per The Guardian. “But when an owner is invested in their interest in the team and wants to help and improve, it’s their prerogative to have the input they want.”
But when it leads to hundreds of millions spent on an incomplete team and no wins in the past five league games, players and fans are right to question whether that input is valuable.
Lampard, though, hopes everyone can just get along.
“These are passionate owners who want to bring a real vision to the club, and we are probably in the early stage of the process in those terms,” he said, per The Guardian. “We can all be passionate together and work in the same direction.”
