‘Boehly looks like he wants to play Football Manager’
Gary Neville has hit out at Chelsea’s transfer policy and accused club owner, Todd Boehly, of being “naive” in the market.
Chelsea have spent just over £90m this summer, bringing in Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and Gabriel Slonina – and have no plans to slow down anytime soon.
The Blues have been linked with Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong and Brighton and Hove Albion defender Marc Cucurella, whose club were forced to deny reports that a fee had been agreed with Chelsea on Wednesday.
‘The American guy looks like he wants to play Football Manager’
However, Neville hasn’t been impressed with the west London club’s approach to the window and said it was like Boehly felt he was ‘playing Football Manager.’
“The American guy [Todd] Boehly, looks like he wants to play Football Manager,” he said during a live episode of The Overlap. “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.”
Neville continued his attack on Boehly’s style and accused him of trying to sign players without any thought. “They’re [Chelsea] almost like bouncing around because it feels like he [Todd Boehly] has to do something,” he added.
“I’m hearing his name too much. It feels like, it’s not to be disrespectful, you know he’s a prominent guy, he’s just bought the club and everything.
“He’s fronted a fund that’s paid two and a half billion quid, but to get rid of all that football operation that’s been unbelievable for that many years and come in and do it yourself, it does feel like Ed Woodward that to me. We’ll see it develop.”
The ex-Manchester United defender also compared the American to his former club’s owners and said that he is hearing his name “too much.”
“You hear his [Todd Boehly] name too much and he’s too prominent. You look at what Manchester City and Liverpool are doing, [Txiki] Begiristain at City is their sporting director,” he said.
“When clubs are working well, you don’t hear who’s signing the players, you just sign them. Chelsea have got that sort of, Manchester United under The Glazers, Ed Woodward, ‘I’m taking over, I’m the man now’, ‘I’m going to go out and basically buy the players’ and then they’re linked with every player that Barcelona want, every player that City want, every player that United want”
Related links:
- Chelsea owner Todd Boehly to host dinner for fellow Premier League executives
- Barcelona beat Chelsea to the signing of Jules Kounde
- Thomas Tuchel tears into Chelsea after Arsenal thrashing in pre-season friendly
