Reputation-damaging financial scandals. The Champions League was eliminated early. A star player has doubts about his future.
Life at Chelsea can often feel like a soap opera and this week we’ll be watching by appointment at the club, where past and present ownership decisions are under intense scrutiny.
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First, Chelsea was hit with a Premier League-record fine and suspended transfer ban over business dealings, including an undisclosed payment of $62 million to unregistered agents and third parties, leading some to cast doubt on the legitimacy of the club’s championship-winning team.
It didn’t take long for attention to turn to the shortcomings of Chelsea’s current squad, which they have spent huge sums of money to build, and the methods of inexperienced coach Liam Roniol, who was recently boldly hired by Chelsea’s American owners.
Chelsea lost 3-0 at home to Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 of the Champions League on Tuesday, ending up with an 8-2 aggregate defeat. This equaled the team’s heaviest defeat in two legs of European competition.
American businessman Todd Boehly, who represents Chelsea’s ownership, was pictured walking onto the Stamford Bridge pitch after the game and reportedly walked along the tunnel towards the dressing room.
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Boley and Clearlake Capital have spent about $2 billion on players since buying the club from Abramovich in 2022, and this is not the result they expected.
Neither are in sixth place in the Premier League (outside Champions League qualification) with eight games remaining.
Two months after taking his first Premier League job, Ronnie Orr’s problems are mounting.
Fernandez speaks out
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez has thrown into doubt his future at the club after throwing a curling ball against Paris Saint-Germain.
In an interview with ESPN Argentina, when asked if he was guaranteed to stay at Chelsea next season, Fernandez said: “I don’t know. My focus is here. We have eight Premier League games to play, and the FA Cup. Then there is the World Cup, so we will see next.”
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The Argentina international made the comments to Roniol in his post-match press conference, with the coach saying “it’s difficult for me to comment on speculation after the game.”
“I need to focus now,” he said. “The most important thing is to make sure we get a good result against Everton on Saturday.”
Major injuries to defensemen
Chelsea will go into this game without two of their most important players, with captain Reece James facing another game due to a hamstring injury and first-choice centre-back Trevor Chalobah being stretchered off after suffering a serious ankle injury against Paris Saint-Germain.
Coupled with concerns over the goalkeeper situation – Ronnie Orr has swapped places with Roberto Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen in recent games – and worries about fatigue after Chelsea won the Club World Cup over the summer, the coach has some important demands for the upcoming fixtures.
“I had to make very difficult decisions that, to be honest, probably didn’t look good at the time,” Roniol said. “But I also want to make the right decisions for the football club in the long term.”
Fans may lose confidence
Chelsea fans were visibly frustrated. They booed Ronniol’s substitutions and even heard chants for Roman Abramovich during the PSG game.
“It’s a great football club and the fans want immediate success, and given the size of the club that’s a given,” Rognior said. “I have to say I understand why the fans are frustrated because of the draw on aggregate.”
Ronior’s methods come under scrutiny
Did Roniol’s methods get him into trouble?
Chelsea players, for example, have recently begun to gather together before the first and second half of games, receiving a lot of attention, with critics saying it irritates opponents.
The referee found himself in the middle of Chelsea’s circle of players ahead of Saturday’s Premier League defeat to Newcastle. Chelsea held a rally inside PSG’s half ahead of their game against PSG.
There was also the bizarre sight of Ronnie Orr first handing a note containing tactical instructions to a seemingly confused Alejandro Garnacho at half-time against PSG, which was then passed on to other Chelsea players on the pitch.
The total score was 8-2 with less than 10 minutes left in the game, and the incident caused some ridicule online.
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AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
