Turbulent week at Chelsea sees European humiliation and Enzo doubts follow financial scandal
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4:31 AM on Wednesday, March 18
By STEVE DOUGLAS
A reputation-harming financial scandal. An early and humiliating Champions League elimination. A star player casting doubt on his future.
Life at Chelsea often resembles a soap opera, and this week has been appointment viewing at a club where the decision-making of its past and present ownership has come under scrutiny.
It started with Chelsea receiving a Premier League-record fine and a suspended transfer ban because of business dealings — including $62 million of undisclosed payments to unregistered agents and third parties — under previous owner Roman Abramovich that, for some, have raised doubts about the legality of the trophy-winning squad that was built by the club.
It hasn’t taken long for the focus to shift to the shortcomings of Chelsea’s expensively assembled current squad and the methods of its inexperienced coach Liam Rosenior, who was recently hired in a bold call by Chelsea’s American ownership.
A 3-0 home loss to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday wrapped up a chastening 8-2 aggregate loss for Chelsea in the round of 16 in the Champions League. It equaled the team’s heaviest European defeat over two legs.
Todd Boehly, the U.S. businessman who fronts Chelsea’s ownership, was pictured walking onto the field at Stamford Bridge and down the tunnel reportedly toward the locker room after the game.
It’s not the sort of result Boehly and Clearlake Capital would have anticipated after overseeing a remarkable spending spree of around $2 billion on players since buying the club from Abramovich in 2022.
Neither is languishing in sixth place in the Premier League — outside the Champions League qualification spots — with eight matches remaining.
Problems are mounting for Rosenior, two months after he was thrust into his first Premier League job.
Chelsea midfielder Enzo Fernandez threw something of a curve-ball after the PSG game by placing in doubt his future at the club.
Speaking to ESPN Argentina, Fernandez — asked whether he could guarantee being at Chelsea next season — was quoted as saying: “I don’t know. My focus is here for now. We have eight Premier League matches to play and the FA Cup. Then, the World Cup coming up so we’ll see after that.”
The Argentina international's comments were put to Rosenior in his post-match news conference and the coach said it was “hard for me to speak on speculation after a game.”
“I need to focus right now,” he said, "on the most important things, which is making sure we get a result against Everton on Saturday.”
Chelsea is set to go into that game without two of its most important players, with captain Reece James facing another spell out with a hamstring injury and first-choice center back Trevoh Chalobah carried off on a stretcher against PSG with a serious-looking ankle injury.
Throw in concerns over the goalkeeper situation — Rosenior has switched it up with Robert Sanchez and Filip Jorgensen in recent matches — and worries about fatigue after Chelsea's summer-long, Club World Cup-winning campaign, and the coach has some big calls to make for upcoming games.
“I have to make really difficult decisions that at the time probably don’t look great, to be honest,” Rosenior said, adding: “But I want to make the right decisions for the football club in the long term as well.”
Chelsea fans are clearly getting frustrated. They booed Rosenior's substitutions and were even heard chanting for Roman Abramovich during the PSG game.
“This is a fantastic football club where the fans want success instantly and that’s rightfully so for the size of the club,” Rosenior said. “I have to say I understand, because of the aggregate score line in the tie, why fans are frustrated.”
Are Rosenior's methods creating problems for himself?
There has been plenty of scrutiny, for example, on a huddle that Chelsea players have recently started to form before first and second halves of matches, which critics say antagonize opponents.
Before the Premier League defeat against Newcastle on Saturday, the referee found himself in the middle of Chelsea's circle of players on the center spot. Ahead the PSG game, the Chelsea huddle took place inside the PSG half.
There was also the bizarre sight of Rosenior giving a note containing tactical instructions first to a seemingly confused Alejandro Garnacho during a break in play against PSG, before the piece of paper was passed around to other Chelsea players on the field.
With the aggregate score being 8-2 at the time and there being less than 10 minutes remaining, the incident has provoked some online scorn.
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