Gary Neville blasts Chelsea owner for Todd Boehly for transfer antics

Chelsea are experiencing a bumpy summer having been involved in a number of deals under new owner Todd Boehly, some successful, some less so.

The Blues were beaten to the signings of both Raphinha and Jules Kounde by Barcelona, while Matthijs de Ligt ended up at Bayern Munich. However they have managed to make some major additions in Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling.

Gary Neville is not exactly enamoured with the style of operations at Stamford Bridge though. Speaking during The Overlap Fan Debate, Neville accused Boehly of acting on a whim.

“The American guy Boehly, looks like he wants to play Football Manager.”

“He’s wandering around a little bit and they’re a bit panicky now. You’re wondering ‘oh they’re coming in for [Frenkie] de Jong this morning’ because he feels like he has to do something, that pressure is on him.”

“He wouldn’t have had that pressure if he’d have kept the people that have been there before and just let them operate for a year or two, but it’ll be an interesting season for Chelsea. Obviously, they’ve lost a few defenders as well. They might even lose more to Barcelona.”

Chelsea have at least secured the future of captain Cesar Azpilicueta, with the Spanish defender agreeing to stay with Thomas Tuchel. There may well be an element of truth to Neville’s words, but it is worth remembering that the club was in limbo until the late stages of May when Boehly’s ownership was confirmed. In many senses it is entirely to be expected that this would be a chaotic summer for Chelsea.