Todd Boehly sent Mauricio Pochettino sack message amid ‘crazy’ Chelsea FFP transfer warning

Wayne Bridge has exclusively told football.london that Boehly ought to give Pochettino time to turn things around at Chelsea but has raised concerns about the club’s mass spending spree.

Wayne Bridge, the former Chelsea defender, has expressed his hope that Todd Boehly, the club’s owner, will break his habit of sacking managers and instead demonstrate faith in Mauricio Pochettino, despite Chelsea’s humiliating 1-0 loss to Middlesbrough on Tuesday.

There have been concerns about Pochettino’s control over the team at Stamford Bridge, with the League Cup defeat marking a low point in his first season. Despite not having European football to contend with this season, Chelsea only sits in the top ten of the Premier League on goal difference.

Bridge, a former England international, believes that some Chelsea players should take responsibility for the club’s current predicament. He has urged Boehly to give Pochettino time to turn things around, considering the significant number of transfers the club has undergone during the hectic summer.

When asked whether Boehly would resort to firing Pochettino again, Bridge replied, “I hope not because I think he [Pochettino] is a genuinely good guy and manager who has a track record of success with younger players. Chelsea’s performance has been inconsistent; they seem to struggle when they fall behind. If they had converted the chances they had yesterday [against Middlesbrough], they probably would have been fine.”

Bridge further expressed his hope that Pochettino would be given the opportunity to prove himself. He acknowledged that some players may have let the manager down but emphasized the need for stability, stating, “They need time. You can’t keep sacking a manager. They have shown glimpses of quality under him. He just needs to find more consistency, and the players need to step up and be more consistent too.”

Despite spending over £1 billion since Boehly’s takeover, Chelsea has experienced a decline. Many fans believe that the constant turnover of players hampers Pochettino’s ability to establish stability.

Bridge emphasized the importance of signing players with the right character, in addition to having financial resources. He questioned whether Boehly has considered long-term planning, given the challenges of adhering to Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations amidst the club’s lavish spending policy.

Regarding FFP, Bridge humorously remarked, “I don’t want to dwell on it too much; it must give him a massive headache! It’s just madness, utterly crazy. When I was playing, things were so different. You have to be extremely careful with your spending and put a lot of thought into buying players. It’s not just about their performance on the pitch; you need to consider their attitude and how they fit into the dressing room. It’s a complicated process. Talking about all the chaos just gives me a headache.