The United Kingdom ordered Roman Abramovich, Chelsea’s previous owner, to sell the club due to his ties with Vladamir Putin amidst the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Chelsea supporters had high expectations for their new American owner, Todd Bohely, and the new look for Chelsea. What the supporters did not expect was the disastrous season that they would have to endure, which included the sacking of their manager who was loved by the supporters due to his success in the Champions League in his first 6 months on the job in 2021. Thomas Tuchel was sacked by the Chelsea board in September of 2022. His successor was Graham Potter, a young up and coming manager who just took a major leap to a historically large and successful club. Graham Potters’ tenure to the dismay of Chelsea supporters only lasted 7 months where Chelsea suffered 11 defeats leaving them in the bottom half of the Premier League table.
The most painful decision Chelsea’s new owner, Todd Bohely, made, was allowing Graham Potter to spend 350 million dollars on players that he believed would help the club win matches and compete for titles. This decision was illogical because now that Graham Potter was relieved of his duties, the next manager is left with players that he did not want to buy. These players include the likes of Mykhailo Mudryk who was signed for a grand total of 108 million dollars and Enzo Fernandez who was bought for an incredible 130 million dollars, by far Chelsea’s most expensive signing.
In addition to the players, the amount of money Chelsea should be able to spend in the summer of 2023 will be significantly lower because of their extensive spending in the January transfer window. During this they set a record for the most a club has spent during a transfer window. This season Chelsea have spent a grand total of 600 million dollars on players, which is larger than every single team in La Liga combined. Chelsea currently sit 11th in the Premier League. 17 points adrift from the top 4 spot which would guarantee Champions League football for the 2023-24 season. In this year’s Champions League, Chelsea are currently 2 goals behind the holders Real Madrid on aggregate. Luckily, Chelsea still have one more match in this Champions League tie against Madrid at home at Stamford Bridge but based upon their current form and Real Madrid’s Champions League dominance it will be a near impossible feat. Leman Manhattan Junior and Chelsea fan, Julian Mahabir, will be hoping Chelsea have a significantly better season next year starting with a long term manager, which will hopefully translate to consistent performances and success in all of their competitions.