Within the statement that accompanied the announcement of Graham Potter being confirmed as Chelsea's head coach, the words of Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano detailed a key reason behind the change in head coach.
"We are thrilled to partner with Graham to build a winning team," the quotes read. "One that embodies the culture of collaboration, innovation, teamwork, player development, and a commitment to excellence on and off the pitch."
That need for alignment in vision was a key reason cited for the breakdown in communication with Thomas Tuchel over the summer. Todd Boehly reflected as much soon after in New York at the SALT Conference, again reaffirming the need for a shared vision.
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"When you take over any business, you have to make sure you're aligned with the people who are operating the business." Boehly said.
"[Thomas] Tuchel is obviously extremely talented and someone who had great success at Chelsea. Our vision for the club was to find a manager who really wanted to collaborate with us, a coach who really wanted to collaborate."
The new owners hope they have that in Graham Potter, with who they have shared unwavering support despite a recent bad run of results. The need for unity at Chelsea is undeniable, which makes any potential lingering thoughts from Boehly over jumping at the chance to sign Cristiano Ronaldo in January completely nonsensical.
Ronaldo's name was mentioned in the fallout of Tuchel's sacking when, during the summer, the German rejected the chance to acquire the Portuguese star after Boehly had met with his agent Jorge Mendes. Not only did Ronaldo's profile not fit Tuchel's approach, but an apparent chat with good friend Ralf Rangnick had also swayed his mind after Rangnick's own experience at Old Trafford the previous season.
Ronaldo's controversial interview with Piers Morgan on TalkTV has grabbed all the headlines for its explosive quotes, and jabs at Rangnick, Manchester United, the Glazers and Erik Ten Hag. Heading into the World Cup break, it has completely taken the attention away from United's win over Fulham in the Premier League on Sunday.
Ronaldo has become a disruptive presence for Ten Hag this season. Not offering a lot on the pitch when called upon, but providing consistent disruption from the bench, having very publicly stormed down the tunnel after refusing to come off the bench in United's win over Spurs last month, he was subsequently left out of the squad to face Chelsea three days later.
United look like a better team without Ronaldo this season, who has only contributed three goals so far, two of those coming in the Europa League.
All of this is a sideshow Chelsea do not need. Not even getting into the tactical issues a 37-year-old Ronaldo presents for a team who wants to counter-press, Ronaldo's actions reflect a priority for the individual rather than the collective.
Chelsea are in a difficult moment, they need to find a sense of identity and consistency on and off the pitch. The actions of Ronaldo fail that test completely, meaning Boehly should stick to the principles that prompted him to appoint Potter in the first place.
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