"The American guy Boehly looks like he wants to play Football Manager. There's something in him, they're a bit panicky. That pressure is on him."
Above are the words from Gary Neville before the start of the season. The former Manchester United defender has been very critical of Chelsea's co-owner Todd Boehly since his appointment in May.
The comment seemed unfair at the time and it still does now. Yes, Chelsea's transfer window was messy – to say the least – but this is someone who took on about 10 jobs at once in his first summer in football. It was never going to be pretty.
READ MORE: Chelsea confirm appointment of Christopher Vivell as new technical director
Chelsea needed to act fast to ensure the club were in the best possible position for future transfer windows and to make sure there was never a repeat of the summer of 2022. When the club was bought for £4.25billion earlier this year, of course there were going to be changes from the old model.
However, nobody expected this many changes. Marina Granovskaia, Petr Cech, Guy Laurence, Eugene Tenenbaum, Scott McLachlan, Steve Atkins and Thomas Tuchel are just some of the names that have left Stamford Bridge over the past few months.
Graham Potter is of course the man who replaced Tuchel, and a number of other people have also joined the club since. Kyle Macaulay (recruitment), Joe Shields (director of recruitment), Paul Winstanley (director of global talent and transfers) and now Christopher Vivell, who has just been appointed as the club's new technical director.
As with any business, Boehly and Clearlake Capital came in the door, saw what they saw and clearly felt changes were necessary. It's the same with football. What this means now, though, is that there cannot be any excuses. What Boehly and Clearlake have assembled here is essentially their dream team.
Of course, as with anything, it could take time for things to click into place. Chelsea's project is long-term. The 'Vision 2030' model, as Neil Bath explains, is just one goal of the club's new-look board.
"It involves our board and owner, who are keen to hear our innovative and creative ideas, which will see us kick on for the next five to 10 years," Bath said in June. "I can assure people that we will not rest on our laurels of having boys [from the academy] involved in Champions League success.
"It's important to set out what we are doing in the short-term, but also to have a long-term vision and direction of where we want our academy to be in the future. That is always the main focus."
Another goal, a lot more short-term, will be to ensure 2023 is a lot less messy than 2022. This year has been quite frankly remarkable. From the sanctions that Abramovich was hit with at the start of the year, to Tuchel being sacked. Breaking news has been frequent at Chelsea Football Club.
There was a point where the future of the club was uncertain and they should never have been put in that position after Chelsea were turned into a European powerhouse in the 2000s.
Boehly and Clearlake are offering their full backing to Potter, who they believe is the right man to turn the fortunes around at Stamford Bridge. The owners need to ensure stability at the club is top of their agenda in 2023 – whether that's with players on the pitch, the coaches and backroom staff, or the board members.
The newly assembled 'recruitment team' is an exciting prospect for Chelsea supporters and one that has already got a few fans buzzing on social media. It's really interesting to hear what Vivell had to say following his appointment and the club's aim to work in a more data-driven way.
"Chelsea are building the most exciting project in global football and I'm extremely proud to be joining the club," Chelsea's new technical director said to the club's official website. "There is so much potential for the club to continue to succeed, develop and grow.
"Under the new ownership, Graham Potter and the broader sporting team, there is a clear and sustainable philosophy underpinned by performance analysis, data and innovation. I am looking forward to playing a part in that."
The upcoming January transfer window and the following summer will be huge for the recruitment team. Perhaps the summer more than January just because of the timing, but it's one that will determine their futures at Chelsea.
There is set to be a big clear out of some of the players on the club's books at the moment. There are a number of people – Jorginho and N'Golo Kante, namely – looking likely to leave the club upon the expiration of their contracts at the end of the season.
There are changes going on at Chelsea, behind the scenes and on the pitch. But perhaps there won't be too many more at recruitment level now. Boehly has certainly left his mark on the club in his short time as co-owner.
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