Gary Neville has not been short of critique for Chelsea's new ownership since the summer, and following the Blues' recent form, the ex-Manchester United defender has reflected once again. The Salford City owner has repeated his claims of Todd Boehly playing 'Football Manager' and suggested that Chelsea's previous regime were more efficient in the transfer window.
"I got battered by Chelsea fans at the start of the season, but I'm not surprised by what's happening to Chelsea," said Neville.
"This has got all the hallmarks of a project that will take time. If you look at what happened at the start of the season, there's no doubt that was handled with crassness, the way the transfer window was handled. That transfer window could take Chelsea a couple of years to recover from if they don't get it right.
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"Graham Potter is under big pressure, I hope he's not, and they see it through because this is a culmination of the difficulties of Roman Abramovich leaving, the new owner coming in and sticking his chest out and going around Europe thinking he can play Football Manager.
"I've seen it before, and it doesn't tend to work. I think Chelsea have always been a really smart, efficient clinical operation on recruitment, so I think Chelsea are one of the big stories right now. I think they will improve, but there are obviously question marks because they're a club like Manchester United, where I wonder where the £250m has gone. It's a quarter of a billion quid. Where's it gone? How have they enhanced the squad? There's a lot of questions for Chelsea."
There may be a degree of truth in Neville's words, but many of his suggestions are also misplaced and misguided. To suggest the operation that existed before Todd Boehly and co were blemishless in the transfer window is surprising, given Chelsea's recent record.
While last term saw additional complications, it saw Boehly and Clearlake capital presented with a squad and a number of players with one year left on their contract. N'Golo Kante, Thiago Silva and Jorginho are not insignificant players, and while decisions have not been made by the new hierarchy, the problem was a long-time in the making.
That follows a year in which Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen found themselves in the same position and ultimately left for nothing, while £98million was spent on Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian forward cannot be considered a success, and while Chelsea landed a Champions League, a Club World Cup and UEFA Super Cup, players like Christian Pulisic, Hakim Ziyech, Kai Havertz, Timo Werner and Kepa Arrizabalaga were signed for significant fees that have not truly been lived up to.
Marina Granovskaia did prove a shrewd operator in some respects and was named best club director in European football. The former Chelsea chief brought in some hefty fees and made the moves to land players in a competitive market, but recent seasons have seen oversights.
The Blues have struggled to find a permanent fixture in their forward line since Diego Costa's departure. The transition of the club's midfield has been problematic and remains unresolved, while replacements were not in place in time for Rudiger and Christensen's departures. Neville suggests that the previous summer has brought a project that will take time, but many would argue those signs have been there longer, given it is almost a decade since the club was able to compete at the highest level in Europe and the Premier League within the same season.
That is not to say Boehly and his team have been faultless. There was a degree of ruthlessness in this summer's signings across the first and development team. The number of missed targets provided plenty of publicity, while those who were signed have yet to warrant their substantial fees. Spending in excess of £200million signalled an indication of a title challenge, but then replacing a head coach early in the season signalled the start of a new, more cohesive philosophy.
The Blues are yet to flourish. When Neville says 'what is happening to Chelsea', it's difficult to know exactly what he means. Excuses offer little in the way of points but a relentless period in which Chelsea have injuries to Reece James, Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ben Chilwell, Wesley Fofana and N'Golo Kante. A group of players who could all be in the club's starting lineup. Raheem Sterling and Carney Chukwuemeka also missed the weekend's match, while Mateo Kovacic has not been 100% fit since pre-season.
It's clear there are issues and faults in Chelsea's squad, and at this stage, blame matters little, and the path forward is more important. For now, on the pitch that lies with Graham Potter. Off it, the recruitment team is being formed. Joe Shields and Laurence Stewart have been appointed to roles in recruitment, while Christopher Vivell and Paul Winstanley have been expected to fill out that team.
Ahead of January, completing that recruitment team is quintessential. With Kyle Macaulay in place as a conduit between that group and Potter's staff, a cohesive path forward must be made as soon as possible. The World Cup is the perfect time to facilitate a transition without the distraction of a hectic schedule and the transfer window will soon be here.
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