18 April 2023 , 10:35
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A mystery Chelsea player has been left ‘disgruntled’ with outspoken owner Todd Boehly after being on the wrong end of a furious rant from the American, it has been claimed.
The Blues have endured a woeful first campaign under the stewardship of Boehly and Clearlake Capital. The Blues have already made two managerial changes at Stamford Bridge since the takeover but nothing appears to be working with Chelsea languishing in 11th in the Premier League table.
Saturday’s defeat to Brighton - their third in succession in all competitions - appeared to be the final straw for Boehly. He went into the dressing room at Stamford Bridge alongside fellow board members Behdad Eghbali and Hansjörg Wyss and gave the squad a dressing down by claiming that the season had been “embarrassing”.
That does not appear to have gone down well with one particular member of the squad though. According to The Guardian, one ‘senior’ player reported to be signed for a ‘large fee in the past 12 months’ was singled out for specific criticism.
That left the player feeling ‘disillusioned’ and then cut a ‘disgruntled figure in training’ as Frank Lampard put the squad through their paces ahead of the Champions League quarter-final second-leg against Real Madrid. Whilst one mystery player is not particularly happy with Boehly currently, others have suggested that his actions were not out of order.
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Speaking ahead of hosting Real, Spanish goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga claimed that it was normal to see the American in the dressing room. He said: “Todd comes to the changing room in every game.
Todd Boehly went into the Chelsea dressing room after the defeat to Brighton (Getty Images)What has gone wrong for Chelsea this season? Share your thoughts in the comments below
“He had different chats with us after different games. I am not going to say what he said. It is normal when he came into the changing room.”
Elsewhere, current interim boss Lampard has suggested that he is not against Boehly showing his face behind the scenes and issuing his thoughts on how the Blues are performing. Asked for his feelings on the situation, he replied: “I am comfortable with that.
“I had my things to say after the game. There is maybe some criticism of our old owner of not coming to games and being around that wasn't always true.
“I remember moments as a player of owners first coming into dressing rooms, I remember being happy. I don't think it's a bad thing.
“I had my things to say, if an owner wants to come in and be positive and speak to the players, they can do that. No problem with that, it shows passion and that's the first thing that I like.”
Regardless of the varying opinions on Boehly’s dressing room rant, most at Stamford Bridge will hope his words had an impact in West London. Chelsea will be aiming to avoid losing four consecutive matches in all competitions for the first time since 1998 against Real.