Former Chelsea Star Criticizes Owner Todd Boehly, Delivers Scathing Assessment of Transfer Strategy.
Former Chelsea goalkeeper Asmir Begovic has criticized the club’s recruitment strategy and board, expressing disappointment with the current state of the team.
He believes Chelsea has fallen far from the standards he remembers.
Chelsea had a challenging Premier League season last year, finishing 12th and undergoing multiple managerial changes during the 2022/23 campaign, which raised concerns about the transition from previous owner Roman Abramovich to American Todd Boehly and his Clearlake Capital consortium.
Begovic, who played for Chelsea from 2015 to 2017, voiced his concerns on The Byline podcast, questioning the club’s recent performance and transfer strategy. He highlighted issues that, in his opinion, have not been addressed under Mauricio Pochettino’s management and Boehly’s ownership.
He expressed frustration at Chelsea’s current league position despite Pochettino’s squad and the substantial investment in new players. Begovic questioned the club’s recruitment and transition phase, particularly their shift from acquiring world-class players from top clubs to signing “potential” players from clubs like Brighton.
Begovic also criticized the club’s performance since Boehly took over from Abramovich, stating that Chelsea’s project has declined during this period. He emphasized the high expectations of Chelsea fans and their desire to compete for trophies.
“This is not Chelsea Football Club” 😳
— Alex Goldberg (@AlexGoldberg_) September 14, 2023
Asmir Begović rants about the current state of Chelsea. He does not bite his tongue… pic.twitter.com/eYvV6q8VqW
In his opinion, Chelsea should not be in a rebuilding phase and should be among the top teams in the league. Begovic lamented the changes he has observed in the past 12 months, describing it as a departure from the Chelsea he remembers as a world-class organization.
Overall, Begovic expressed his disappointment with the club’s recent developments, contrasting the current state with the high standards and world-class status he associated with Chelsea in the past.
