The Downfall of Chelsea F.C.
An Overview of Chelsea’s Misfortune and Midtable Mystery
T. G. George
FROM WINNING THE CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL AND SPENDING NEARLY $1.2 BILLION (AUSTRALIAN DOLLARS) ON TRANSFERS IN BETWEEN, CHELSEA FIND THEMSELVES TWELFTH IN THE PREMIER LEAGUE. No matter the result of the final game of the season, Chelsea will finish with their worst record in their fruitful reign of 31 years in the top division of English football. This unimaginable streak of poor form can be credited to a chain reaction of unfavourable events, beginning with Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Former Chelsea owner, Roman Abramovich, was the father of Chelsea’s glory in England and Europe. Since his takeover of Chelsea in 2003, he transformed a mid-table club with European cup aspirations into a title-winning force. He consistently pumped money into Chelsea’s fortunate pockets, appointing world-class managers and recruiting exceptional players. His brutal appetite for managerial dismissal saw 13 managers sacked under his ownership, including the audacity to boot Jose Mourinho, “The special one”, twice. Evidently, his progressive attitude and desire for success would not wait for anyone, and subsequently, Chelsea won five Premier Leagues, eight Domestic Cups and two Champions Leagues.
As we are all very familiar, Russia invaded Ukraine on the 24 February, 2022. The implications of this conflict have caused chaos and headlines around the world, including a football club in West London. The British government accused Abramovich of ties to Vladimir Putin and suggested the possibility of corrupt activity. These allegations were never confirmed, but like many rich Russians with ties to Putin in 2022, Abramovich was sanctioned by the British government. Subsequently, on the 11 March, 2022, Chelsea’s bank accounts were frozen. They were unable to even sell tickets for their games. Fortunately, the British government approved Abramovich’s proposal to sell the club on the condition that the proceeds were donated to Ukrainian victims of war. This resulted in Chelsea F.C. being sold for AUD 4.8 billion, the largest sporting team sale of all time. The highly coveted reins fell into the soft, American hands of Todd Boehly. The turmoil had only just begun.
With big shoes to fill, Todd Boehly’s first instinct was to start digging. He treated the offseason transfer window like a FIFA career mode, with financial takeover enabled. Lavish spending, coupled with limited foresight, saw Chelsea spend $460 million on inadequate players. An already crowded locker room left former Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, with large egos to diffuse amidst below-standard league and European performances. The Blues sat sixth on the Premier League table by early September, five points behind league leaders Arsenal. Having already replicated Abramovich’s transfer market tendencies, Boehly followed suit by mimicking his fiery attitude towards firing managers. He sacked Chelsea’s hero, the man that led them to miraculous Champions League glory, Thomas Tuchel. Debate immediately ensued, some suggested the decision was opportunistic, yet many felt it was an impatient, mindless stunt.
Todd’s response was to splash a casual $32 million on Graham Potter. Despite an impressive three-year stint at Brighton, Potter lacked the CV to take over a club the size of Chelsea, especially in a time of massive transition. He started slowly, pushing an injury-ridden Chelsea side to the January transfer window.
With major internal problems to address, and an already full team list, Todd Boehly saw only one viable option. Spend more money. And so, he spent recklessly, notably bringing in World Cup winner, one tournament wonder, Enzo Fernandez, for a Premier League record-breaking $202 million. Chelsea seemed to sign a new player every day of January, exhausting journalists. Not only did it exhaust journalists, but the bags also only dropped lower under Graham’s weary eyes.
By recruiting more players than could fit on a training pitch, Boehly only deepened the problems of the inexperienced powers leading a broken football club. A measly seven months and 12 wins into his campaign, Potter finally got the boot.
Former Chelsea legend, Frank Lampard, was appointed as interim manager. Another bizarre decision, as he had previously failed as Chelsea manager, and a lacklustre relegation battle stint at Everton in between, did not suggest any alluring qualities to take over the suicidal role. And as many suspected, Lampard has continued a meaningless season with abnormally poor results.
With the experienced manager, Mauricio Pochettino, joining the club next season and Boehly claiming he will step back from footballing decisions, the future may be a little bit brighter for Chelsea. We will just have to wait and see.