Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali: ‘We didn’t want to sack Enzo Maresca’ | OneFootball

Chelsea co-owner Behdad Eghbali has admitted the club didn’t want to sack Enzo Maresca mid-season and that the decision had a negative impact.

The Blues dismissed the Italian tactician at the turn of the year, but the fallout continues to define a campaign that is rapidly unravelling.

Speaking at a sports business conference in Los Angeles, Eghbali said (via The Athletic): “Our policy has been no in-season changes. 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.”

Owners’ messages are contradictory

Eghbali insisted BlueCo is learning from its mistakes and remains committed to restoring Chelsea’s winning identity.

That will take some doing, considering Liam Rosenior’s disastrous start to life in the Chelsea dugout.

Chelsea have crashed out of the Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup, while their Premier League form has nosedived at the worst possible moment.

What was once a promising campaign has spiralled into a fight to remain relevant in the top-five race.

One win in six games across all competitions has exposed a side lacking identity, cohesion, and the cutting edge required to compete at the elite level.

There is an uncomfortable contradiction at the heart of the club’s messaging.

On one hand, Eghbali speaks of the need to win consistently and hints at a shift towards recruiting proven, ready-made players.

However, Chelsea are being led by sporting directors who have never built an elite squad, and by a manager who is still learning on the job at the highest level under immense pressure.

You cannot build an elite squad of winners while entrusting the project to a manager who has yet to prove he can deliver at that level.

Eghbali may insist the plan is evolving, but it risks going nowhere fast with Rosenior in charge.

Chelsea fans plan to stage protests against the club’s leadership, decrying how the club is being run. Something has to give soon.