‘This decision could kill Chelsea’ - Ex-Blues defender Leboeuf slams Boehly and co’s decision

‘This decision could kill Chelsea’ - Ex-Blues defender Leboeuf slams Boehly and co’s decision

Kolawole Babatunde 17:19 - 11.07.2024

Former Chelsea and France defender Frank Leboeuf is unhappy with how Chelsea's current owners are running the club.

In an interview with French outlet Get French Football News, the World Cup winner was asked about his thoughts on multi-club ownership, which is becoming increasingly common in football. He clearly expressed his disapproval of such structures.

Leboeuf cited several examples, including his former clubs Chelsea and Strasbourg.

Chelsea's issues affecting Strasbourg

Chelsea
Todd Boehly and Chelsea majority shareholder Behdad Eghbali (Imago/Prime Media Images) Todd Boehly and Chelsea majority shareholder Behdad Eghbali have been criticised for their head-scratching decisions at Chelsea (Imago/Prime Media Images)

Leboeuf's main concern with the Chelsea-Strasbourg relationship is that Chelsea might be hindering Strasbourg's immediate success by taking their experienced players.

Speaking to Get French Football News, he said: "It seems like Chelsea are transferring their problems onto Strasbourg – no experienced players, only youngsters, just trading for future benefit, with nothing for the present. That raises concerns for me, as it won't work for either Strasbourg or Chelsea. I don't believe in it."

Leboeuf continued to express his displeasure, highlighting the potential negative consequences of this multi-club ownership model for both teams.

"I think it could kill Chelsea, and it could also lead Strasbourg to a slow death. It might bring money in, but at some point you need results. If it ends up with Strasbourg in Ligue 2, or Chelsea in the Championship, then it won't be good."

Leboeuf's proposed structure

Frank Leboeuf || Imago

It was not all negativity, however. The former French defender saw some positives and offered advice on how the structure could function better.

"I think it's good that Chelsea is helping Strasbourg financially. But if you're not close to a club, you can't dictate – you don't know the region or how football works there."

"Strasbourg is known as 'little Marseille' – the club belongs to the locals, it's their club. It would be like asking Newcastle to do whatever Chelsea want."

"You can invest money – no problem – but you can't be the ones making decisions if you don't know the region or how it works. So you need to be very careful because the fans are sceptical and disappointed at the moment because they're not seeing any progress."

Leboeuf spent five years at Strasbourg before joining Chelsea directly in 1996, where he stayed for half a decade. He was very successful with the Blues, winning six trophies, including two FA Cups, the UEFA Cup Winners' Cup, the UEFA Super Cup, the League Cup, and the Community Shield.

He also enjoyed success with France, earning 50 caps and winning the World Cup, European Championship, and Confederations Cup.

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