Chelsea owner Behdad Eghbali has revealed how the club will drastically shift their transfer strategy after growing dissent among supporters.
The Blues are currently in a battle to qualify for next season’s Champions League, with fifth the target in the Premier League to secure a berth, despite a remote chance of an extra English team in Europe’s top club competition.
But after inconsistent results since Enzo Maresca’s departure and the hiring of Liam Rosenior, fans have underlined “an erosion of trust” with the owners and the project, but Eghbali maintains the club’s approach will evolve in the coming months, instead targeting some “ready-made” players, despite a committed approach to signing younger, unproven talent in recent years.
"The view was to recruit and build elite players that can, frankly, be together and have that stability in the squad. We're still in the 40th, 50th minute of that process," Eghbali said at the CAA's World Congress of Sports conference in Los Angeles on Thursday.
"But the view is to keep, sign and retain and compensate and extend some of the world's best players, and ultimately the view was you need, eight, 10, 12, 15 elite players to win and win sustainably, year after year.
"I think we've done a few things right, a lot of things right. We've got to be better on a few things, to add more ready-made players at this part of the project, to take it to the next level, to be consistent over time."
Eghbali also admitted regret at the mid-season departure of Maresca, adding: "Our policy has been no in-season [head coach] changes.
“You certainly review and hold not only the manager, but the management team, the sporting team, accountable, but typically in the summers, not in season.
"It's not a change we wanted to make [Enzo Maresca leaving]. It's a change that had a bit of a negative impact in the season, when you're changing systems and personnel, and it's one we've got to fight our way out of.
"We still have six matches in the Premier League, and an FA Cup semi-final coming up. So, hopefully the story of this season hasn't been written yet, and you've got a lot to fight for. In my perspective, when you get punched in the face, you've got to fight back, you've got to stand up and fight. And it's going to hopefully show a lot about the character of this squad.”
The Blues reported a pre-tax losses of £262.4m for the last financial year, a Premier League record, with around £1.5bn spent on transfer fees since the new ownership group took charge in 2022.
And now the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust (CST) has said there is a “lack of confidence” in the owners.
“These concerns are not driven by short-term results, and they will not be resolved by them. They relate to the underlying direction of the club, and they will persist regardless of fluctuations on the pitch,” said the CST.
“At the heart of supporter concern is a simple point: the current model has demanded a huge amount of faith from the fanbase, while giving too little clarity in return. Supporters have watched relentless upheaval. Players, managers, staff, and structures have changed at pace. This has been presented as part of a long-term plan.
“Yet four years on, there is still no sufficiently clear or convincing explanation of how that plan delivers sustained success while preserving a recognisable Chelsea identity. The vision remains unclear, its execution inconsistent, and its leadership insufficiently accountable.”
