By Liberty Nicholson-Hulse
Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali has admitted the club’s recent managerial change has had a “negative impact” on their season as he outlined a need for greater stability and insisted the ownership group remains committed to long-term success.
Eghbali, co-founder of Clearlake Capital and a key figure in BlueCo’s ownership of Chelsea, has given a rare interview covering a range of issues at the club.
Champions League hopes under threat
Chelsea are currently at risk of missing out on Champions League qualification.
They sit four points behind fifth-placed Liverpool after a difficult run of form that has seen them win just one of their last seven Premier League matches, with Eghbali acknowledging the disruption caused by Enzo Maresca’s sudden departure on New Year’s Day.
“Our policy has been no in-season [head coach] changes,” Eghbali stated at the CAA’s World Congress of Sports conference in Los Angeles.
“It’s not a change we wanted to make. It’s a change that had a bit of a negative impact in the season, when you’re changing systems and personnel, and it’s one we’ve got to fight our way out of.”
Despite the setbacks, Eghbali insisted there is still time to salvage the campaign.
“We still have six matches in the Premier League and an FA Cup semi-final coming up,” he noted.
“So, hopefully the story of this season hasn’t been written yet, and you’ve got a lot to fight for… and it’s going to hopefully show a lot about the character of this squad.”
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Supporting Rosenior after past mistakes
Eghbali pointed to wider structural issues, admitting the club are still working towards greater consistency in their managerial approach.
“I think the perspective is stability, and frankly, getting that stability on the manager side is one of the things we haven’t done right yet, and it’s something we’re striving to improve on,” he said.
In light of recent results, Eghbali offered backing for current head coach Liam Rosenior, who took over following Maresca’s exit.
“On Liam, we had the opportunity to work with him daily for 18-plus months, so we knew what we were getting,” Eghbali said.
“We think he has every attribute to be successful here… we’re behind Liam. Of course, it’s a results business, but we think he can be successful long term.”
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Eghbali addresses criticisms amid struggles
The Chelsea co-owner also addressed the club’s recruitment strategy, conceding a shift is needed towards adding more experienced players alongside their youthful signings.
“The view is to keep, sign and retain and compensate and extend some of the world’s best players… to add more ready-made players at this part of the project to take it to the next level, to be consistent over time,” he explained.
Eghbali moreover insisted the ownership group is fully aware of supporter frustration amid mixed results and plans for some Chelsea fans to demonstrate against the owners.
“For the fans, we care. We want the club to be successful,” he said. “There is a full reflection on what we can do better… the message is we’re committed.”
“Can this be successful without winning? The answer is no. We’ve got to win… the objective hasn’t changed.”
Chelsea’s focus now turns to the final weeks of the season, with both their league campaign and FA Cup ambitions still on the line.
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