Following Chelsea’s takeover by Roman Abramovich in 2003, the club rose from the jaws of financial crisis and poor performances to become the eighth most valuable club in the World (According to accountancy firm Deloitte).
Since then, in the past two decades, the club has become a superpower, striking fear in opponents before the match starts.
Led by an owner who demanded the best from the coaches he hired, the club was at the helm of Europe.
But recently they have gotten so embarrassingly bad, that they have stopped demanding respect from opponents and fans to the point of being at the end of jokes.
How did it end like this, a club that won 21 silverware in the last 19 years is now in the trenches for the past two years?
Under Roman Abramovich’s era, Chelsea was one of the most successful clubs in Europe in the 21st century falling behind Manchester City.
According to many Chelsea fans, Roman Abramovich is the ‘father’ of Chelsea. It is fair to say that is the case. He took Chelsea in 2003 after paying a hefty fee at the time, which amounted to sixty million pounds from Ken Bates. He was also left with an eighty million pounds debt.
Luckily Chelsea in that 2002-03 season during the takeover, edged out Liverpool to claim the fourth-place finish which would send Chelsea into the Champions League. This was so crucial since it flexed Chelsea’s muscles in the Transfer Market.
During the transitional phase, Claudio Ranieri was the head coach. He was given a plethora of signings like;
- Claude Makelele: The French defensive midfielder joined Chelsea from Real Madrid for £13.8m. He went on to become one of the finest defensive midfielders the Premier League has ever seen.
- Hernan Crespo: The Argentine striker was the marquee signing of Abramovich’s first transfer window. He scored 12 goals in 21 appearances in his first full season at the club, before joining AC Milan on loan in the 2004-05 season. He returned to the club for another season, contributing 13 goals in 40 appearances, before returning to Inter Milan at the end of the campaign.
- Wayne Bridge: The English left-back joined Chelsea from Southampton for £7m. He made 142 appearances for the club, scoring 7 goals.
- Juan Sebastian Veron: The Argentine midfielder joined Chelsea from Manchester United for £15m. He made only 14 appearances for the club before being loaned out to Inter Milan.
- Joe Cole: The English attacking midfielder joined Chelsea from West Ham United for £6.6m. He made 282 appearances for the club, scoring 40 goals
- Glen Johnson: The English right-back joined Chelsea from West Ham United for £6m. He made 71 appearances for the club, scoring 1 goal.
These signings ushered in a new Chelsea Era that was spoilt by titles and success. Under the 13 managers that managed the club during the Abramovich era, Chelsea won 19 major trophies:
Premier League: 5 titles (2004–05, 2005–06, 2009–10, 2014–15, 2016–17)
- FA Cup: 5 titles (2006–07, 2008–09, 2009–10, 2011–12, 2017–18)
- League Cup: 3 titles (2004–05, 2006–07, 2014–15)
- Champions League: 2 titles (2011–12, 2020–21)
- Europa League: 2 titles (2012–13, 2018–19)
- UEFA Super Cup: 1 title (2021)
- FIFA Club World Cup: 1 title (2021).
However, this incredible era under Roman had to be cut short. This was after the UK government threatened to sanction his assets in the country which meant he had to sell the club to avoid losing control over it. This was because of his alleged close ties with Russian President Vladimir Putin- who fueled the Russia-Ukraine War.
This would usher in a new era of ownership at the club. It was time for the consortium of investors led by Todd Boehly, and Clearlake Capital to take over the reins in May 2022.
Here is when everything started to crumble slowly.
New Ownership meant a new culture at the club and new faces in the hierarchical structures.
From broken promises and unrealistic suggestions to bad decisions that sent the club into a tailspin, here is a breakdown of the lowlights from the past 19 months.
- Big Spending on the Future rather than ‘Now’
Chelsea has spent a total of 1.03 billion pounds for a total of 24 players. However, these players have been under the age bracket of 25 years. Raheem Sterling, Aubameyang, and Koulibaly as an exception. The most frustrating part about the signings is the fact the ownership down-looked at the extreme importance of having experienced players. This has come to haunt the team as the young players have wavered under the pressure that comes with playing for Chelsea Football Club.
Something else that seemed a masterstroke from the owners was the fact that almost all the signings have been tethered to ridiculously long contracts. This is to spread the costs of the transfers which will help with the FFP.
However, what if the players fail to live up to the bill, or let’s play devil’s advocate, want to leave the club? This might prove costly in the future.
- Ruthless Sacking of Managers
Thomas Tuchel, Graham Potter, Bruno Salto, Frank Lampard- interim, and now Mauricio Pochetino. They were more ruthless than Roman. This shows their poor decision-making at the club thus far.
Gave Potter a long contract- five years, but sent him packing during his first year and had to compensate hefty money.
With how things are faring on with Pochetino I wouldn’t be surprised if he was on the chopping block.
It is almost 19 months; the team is lacking the fundamentals of a competitive team.
- Reckless Clear-out of experienced players
The departures of experienced and veteran players like Ngolo Kante, a long-serving captain Cesar Azplicueta, Koulibaly, Eduardo Mendy, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Romelu Lukaku, Hakim Ziyech, Christian Pulisic, Loftus Cheek, Mateo Kovacic, Jorginho, Mason Mount, and Kai Havertz.
This has proven to be costly. This crop of players knew and understood what Chelsea culture is all about. You will all agree with me that a few of these players like Ngolo Kante, Cesar Azplicueta, and Lukaku would be so handy in the dressing room and on the pitch to guide the current young players.
4. Needless Sacking of Staff Members
The whole backroom staff under Roman was sent packing in a feisty way. The needless sacking of Jason Griffin along with his assistant and son Reisse was the embodiment of their needless sacking of staff members. The family pair were in charge of the Stamford pitch for the past 30 years. This was needless and it only affected the harmony of the staff members.
The 2022/23 EPL season was a season to forget for Chelsea as they reached new lows, they finished 12th with just 44 points. Chelsea made history by going winless in four EPL matches for the first time since March 1998.
So far in the 2023/24 EPL season, things seem to follow the same trajectory. The club is sitting 12th with 19 points which is 18 points off the league leaders Liverpool. That sums up Chelsea’s season.
How Can Chelsea Salvage their almost ‘Write-Off season”?
- Restructure the Club’s model of U-25 players.
The club must change its stance on signing the U-25 players. This team is crying out on experienced heads. The strike duo of Broja and Jackson needs a striker like Osimhen or Toney to learn and develop at their own pace without pressure to deliver now.
The Midfield of Enzo and Caicedo would appreciate an experienced body in the midfield.
- Leave the Football Matters to the Club’s Sporting Directors
The board likes getting their hands dirty on the club’s signings, affairs, and management.
It’s high time the owners should leave the football side to the director’s duo of Lawrence Stewart and Paul Winstanley.
Well, being a Chelsea fan at the current time is rough, the club seems to be taking a south turn. If drastic measures aren’t implemented to change the situation, then I am sorry to say that Chelsea will continue to take new Lows.
So far, European slots seem out of reach, which was the club’s objective at the start of the season.
