20 March 2024 , 17:03
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Chelsea’s £1bn squad have appeared rudderless on the pitch this season. Now their most prominent supporters’ group have warned there is “serious concern about the direction of the club” off it.
The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust sent a four-page letter to owners Todd Boehly and Bedhad Eghbali on March 8 highlighting issues that places the club at risk of becoming “a laughing stock.”
And after receiving an unsatisfactory reply yesterday from chief executive Chris Jurasek, the CST chairman Mark Meehan said there is a “disconnection felt towards the club ownership, board as well as the majority of the team and the manager.”
The exchange comes after chairman Boehly, head coach Mauricio Pochettino and high-profile signings such as Raheem Sterling have been targeted by furious supporters during recent games.
Chelsea sit an uncomfortable 11th in the Premier League table having seen an unprecedented level of investment in the transfer market over the past two years. Pochettino’s side also lost the EFL Cup final to an understrength Liverpool last month, although they will face Manchester City in the last four of the FA Cup.
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But the CST’s primary grievances are focused on how the club is being run behind the scenes. They believe the owners have already broken a pledge made when they took over from Roman Abramovich in 2022 to maximise other revenue streams before increasing the costs for matchgoing fans.
The CST provided Boehly and Eghbali with seven different examples of costs rising - including merchandise, away game travel and food and drink prices at Stamford Bridge.
And they conveyed “serious concerns” over the potential of increased ticket prices next season. No decision has been made but the club is “assessing the situation”.
Chelsea fans say there are "serious concerns" about the direction of the club under chairman Todd Boehly, centre, and Bedhad Eghbali, right.. (PA)Their letter continued: “This seems especially pertinent given the record-breaking expenditure on players that has produced a far from positive impact on the pitch. We are very aware that the increase in ticket prices will only add to the ‘penny pinching’ narrative and we have obvious and real concerns about how supporters would react to this combination of increased prices and mediocre, inconsistent performances on the pitch.”
Yet the most striking part of their address surrounds the mood of fans who have seen their club slump from serial trophy winners to a side not even qualifying for Europe.
“The current feeling amongst Chelsea supporters in our opinion is at its lowest since the early 1980s,” the letter continued, adding that: “we are close to, if not already experiencing, a significant shift in supporter opinion that could result in irreversible toxicity, almost irrespective of results on the pitch.”
The CST outlined its view “that the lack of any public-facing vision from the new ownership has led to an overwhelming sense of helplessness, frustration, and deep concern” among fans. In response Jurasek said: “Our goal is the same as your goal: to ensure Chelsea Football Club has a bright and successful future.”
But Meehan, having the last word for now, said that the chief executive’s letter “doesn’t really address the issue we raised, which was about the club opening up to … explain and reassure at a difficult and challenging time for everyone.”
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