Key Takeaways
- Behdad Eghbali admits Enzo Maresca’s January exit hurt the team and pledges no more mid-season coach changes.
- Chelsea will now chase experienced, “ready-made” signings instead of only young talents.
- The co-owner insists the club still trusts Liam Rosenior and wants a rapid return to winning trophies.
Behdad Eghbali, the man who controls Chelsea through BlueCo, has broken his silence on the club’s slide and promised a new transfer approach built on proven quality rather than potential.
Speaking in Los Angeles on Thursday, the Clearlake Capital co-founder said January’s surprise departure of head coach Enzo Maresca was “not a move we wished for” and admitted the timing damaged the squad’s rhythm.
“We don’t sack coaches during the season,” Eghbali told the World Congress of Sports. “We review everyone in the summer. Maresca’s exit set us back, but we have six league games and an FA Cup semi-final to rescue the campaign.”
Chelsea have taken one point from the last 21 and sit four behind fifth-placed Liverpool in the race for next season’s Champions League.
Eghbali, however, threw his support behind interim boss Liam Rosenior, who stepped up from assistant when Maresca left on New Year’s Day.
“We worked with Liam for 18 months, so we know his standards,” he said. “Results have dipped, yet we believe he has every tool to succeed here. We are backing him.”
The American investor also accepted that the club’s policy of stacking the squad with youngsters needs balance. “The idea was to build a core that could stay together for years,” he explained. “We are only halfway through that job. Now we must add battle-hardened players who can lift us immediately.”
Some fans plan to protest before Saturday’s home clash with Manchester United, joining Strasbourg supporters who also question BlueCo’s running of their club. Eghbali urged patience and promised silverware remains the only yardstick.
“Six months ago people praised us,” he said. “We still want the same thing: trophies, year after year. We will tweak what isn’t working, but the message is clear — we are here to win.”