Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Todd Boehly implementing refreshing Chelsea changes after Abramovich exit

mirror.co.uk, 13 July 2022, 20:03
CHELSEA TOUR DIARY: New owner Todd Boehly has already brought a new atmosphere around Chelsea as the Blues move on from the Roman Abramovich era on their US tour

The mood around Todd Boelhy's Chelsea is already so very different to the ridiculous regime under Roman Abramovich.

Distant, disconnected and, at times, farcical with his perpetual human ring of steel to belie his 'man of the people' spin, Abramovich was nothing of the kind. Fans during that spell obviously couldn't care less as he financed signings and bankrolled success in the Premier League, Europa League and Champions League.

But Boelhy is already giving off signs of being an even more complete package. Rock up at the Chelsea team hotel here in Beverly Hills and you aren't greeted with the kind of absurdity that so often surrounded Abramovich.

Boelhy and his key men like to talk - shock, horror! It'll never catch on. The American has already created a favourable impression with his willingness to engage and shoot the breeze at the hotel and during training.

At Chelsea's University of California HQ here, Boelhy's Clearlake associate, Jose Feliciano, could be seen in the thick of staff, players and journalists being human.

It is all a refreshing change from the ridiculousness of Abramovich. A departure from the Silent Stan approach of Kroenke at Arsenal and the overall absenteeism of the Glazers at Manchester United.

Supporters want their custodians to be approachable. The money and the ambition is just a part of it.

So expect Boelhy to be clear and present throughout the Chelsea journey. Expect the vibe to be different from the 18 years of being kept at arm's length from touchy, litigious Abramovich. Suddenly there is accountability at Chelsea. A voice from the top here in London rather than a press release from overseas.

Boelhy has already started the process of making good on his promises to keep the team competitive. Raheem Sterling at £47.5million is a stunning capture from Manchester City.

Napoli colossus Kalidou Koulibaly is a terrific defender and an outstanding replacement for Antonio Rudiger. Good luck to Premier League strikers trying to find space between him and the highly-decorated Thiago Silva.

Should Boelhy land pacy Presnel Kimpembe from PSG and Nathan Ake from City, Chelsea will have themselves a formidable defensive base to build on. Little wonder then, that the mood in the camp right now is so upbeat while the mood among fans, particularly on social media, has until now been so apprehensive.

Billionaire Boelhy, a hugely successful businessman in his own right, has not come in to mess around. His due diligence has been done, his trusted advisers Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, Clearlake's co-founders, have sized up the transfer landscape and they are already starting to correct some of the mistakes made by Abramovich's former chief negotiator, Marina Granovskaia.

In her latter years the Russian cancelled out her previously shrewd dealings with some questionable decision-making. Allowing Rudiger and Andreas Christensen respectively to join Real Madrid and Barcelona on free transfers after driving a hard transfer bargain did not reflect well on her.

Nor did the £45million spent on misfiring Timo Werner, the £100million on Romelu Lukaku or the £36million Hakim Ziyech. Even Champions League matchwinner Kai Havertz, you'd have to admit, was overpriced at £72million.

None of that is the German forward's fault as he continues to make good progress in Chelsea colours. In fact, by the looks of things, he will be part of a fine team this season under Boelhy's stewardship.

But it is the American's work off the pitch, however, that has not gone unnoticed. Chelsea almost look human again.

Top News

24 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Nijmegen vs. Utrecht (Sunday, 11.15am) In-form sides NEC and FC Utrecht will be looking to keep their momentum going when they face off against each other at the Goffertstadion on Sunday afternoon. 24 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Holstein Kiel vs. Mainz (Sunday, 2.30pm) Holstein Kiel will hope to use their home crowd at Holstein-Stadion to spur them to victory against Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga on Sunday, as they continue their quest for survival. 24 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Genoa vs. Cagliari (Sunday, 11.30am) Aiming for a victory to start Patrick Vieira's tenure positively, Genoa seek maximum against a Cagliari side one place ahead of them in the Serie A table ahead of Sunday's gameweek 13 match at Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris. 24 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Osasuna vs. Villarreal (Sunday, 1.00pm) Fifth will welcome fourth in an intriguing La Liga contest on Sunday afternoon, with Villarreal making the trip to El Sadar Stadium to tackle Osasuna. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have reportedly stepped up their interest in signing Chelsea's Josh Acheampong, whose contract stand-off with the Blues is showing no signs of ending anytime soon. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Turkish Super Lig titans Galatasaray have supposedly emerged as shock contenders to prise Alisson Becker away from Liverpool next summer. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United have supposedly added Paris Saint-Germain defender and former Ruben Amorim protege Nuno Mendes to their left-back shortlist for 2025. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have a psychological advantage in the title race and can truly stake their claim as favourites by capitalising on their rivals' weaknesses over the coming weeks in the Premier League, Reds expert David Lynch has argued. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk La Liga Barcelona were stunned on Saturday evening as Celta Vigo scored twice in the final exchanges of their contest to secure a point in a pulsating 2-2 draw at the Estadio Municipal de Balaidos. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides hoping to emerge from a rut will go head-to-head in the Turkish Super Lig when Trabzonspor host Adana Demirspor at Papara Park. 23 November 2024 talksport.com With the November international break in the rear-view mirror, the Premier League returned with a bang. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City have set an unwanted losing record after suffering a heavy 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Saturday evening. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta used a unique building analogy to explain his plan for Ethan Nwaneri after the 17-year-old scored his first Premier League goal in Saturday's 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Chelsea may forcing themselves into the title race, but Troy Deeney believes a glaring issue 'is going to cost them' down the track. 23 November 2024 talksport.com A former Aston Villa captain is set to become an MLS manager this week. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Reigning Premier League champions Manchester City have lost their fifth consecutive game in all competitions after suffering a chastening 4-0 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday evening. 23 November 2024 talksport.com A 4-0 defeat to Tottenham wasn't what Pep Guardiola had in mind when it came to celebrating his new Manchester City contract. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Senior figures at Manchester United have allegedly concluded that Joshua Zirkzee 'is not good enough', with the club having 'serious doubts' when it comes to the Netherlands international. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Pep Guardiola has made unwanted history after Manchester City fell two goals behind after 20 minutes in their 4-0 defeat to Tottenham. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United head coach Ruben Amorim has hinted that Marcus Rashford will have an important role to play under him, with the Portuguese insisting that the attacker can play in all three positions in the final third of the field. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Manchester City's clash with Tottenham kicked off late after Rodri's Ballon d'Or presentation. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Fenerbahce head coach Jose Mourinho has reportedly made contact with legendary forward Cristiano Ronaldo to discuss a possible move for the Al-Nassr star next year. 23 November 2024 talksport.com A frustrated Leicester City boss Steve Cooper confirmed he will write to the PGMOL after his side's 2-1 loss to Chelsea. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Real Madrid will be bidding to make it successive victories in La Liga when they continue their 2024-25 campaign with a clash against newly-promoted Leganes on Sunday night. 23 November 2024 talksport.com Ethan Nwaneri became Arsenal's second youngest goalscorer in the Premier League in a dominant 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Joao Pedro was the star of the show as ten-man Brighton & Hove Albion recorded a 2-1 victory over Bournemouth in Saturday's Premier League contest at the Vitality Stadium. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aston Villa twice came from behind to draw 2-2 with Crystal Palace in Saturday afternoon's pulsating Premier League contest at Villa Park. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal snapped their four-game Premier League winless streak in Mikel Arteta's 250th match in charge of the club as they earned a comfortable 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest at the Emirates. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Brentford picked up their first Premier League away point of the season at the sixth attempt as the 10-man Bees held a wasteful Everton to a 0-0 draw at Goodison Park. 23 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea head coach Enzo Maresca has explained how he wants Enzo Fernandez to adapt his game to fit seamlessly into his preferred system.