Souness aims ruthless dig at Boehly for turning Chelsea "into mid-table club"

13 January 2024 , 07:46

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Souness aims ruthless dig at Boehly for turning Chelsea "into mid-table club"

Todd Boehly has been told he has turned Chelsea into a "mid-table club" despite only being in charge for a little over a year.

The American succeeded Roman Abramovich when he fronted a successful bid for the club, before embarking on a recruitment drive that has so far seen the Blues spend over £1billion. That has by no means made them a better outfit with Boehly overseeing their worst campaign in a decade last term.

They are on course to match that failure this term - they're currently sat 10th - with Chelsea, previously a top-four side every season, poised for another year outside the European spots. Boehly has twice broken the club-record transfer fee, but there are still clear shortfalls, notably in the final third.

Graeme Souness wrote in the Daily Mail : "We now hear that Chelsea may have to sell players to comply with Financial Fair Play, which brings us back again to all the cash they have laid out without buying a striker. How in hell’s name do you manage to spend the thick end of a billion, fall short of securing the most important commodity – and then have to ship more out? Unbelievable! Congratulations, Mr Boehly.

"Chelsea have dropped from a team that was winning trophies nearly every year to their current level – a mid-table club. I don’t see this being the quick fix Chelsea fans will expect. It all adds up to dangerous territory for Mauricio. He’s going to need all the luck he can find."

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During Boehly's reign Chelsea have signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, who has since moved on after failing to produce. Christopher Nkunku was signed from RB Leipzig after being prolific in Germany, but injury has prevented him for making any impact thus far.

Todd Boehly's millions have not resulted in success on the pitch

Nicolas Jackson has been the man largely leading Chelsea's line following his summer move from Villarreal. The Senegal international has copped criticism for his exploits in front of goal, scoring eight times in 23 outings so far. He didn't feature in the midweek loss at Championship side Middlebrough with Pochettino opting to play without a forward.

"What we witnessed in their defeat at Middlesbrough on Tuesday night was the latest manifestation of what has been evident all season: a collection of players, some very good, some not so good, and not a single proper goalscorer at the top level," added Souness.

Samuel Meade