Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has been criticised for taking charge of the Blues' summer transfer business.
Transfers had been part of the remit of Marina Granovskaia during the tenure of previous owner Roman Abramovich. However, with Granovskaia's departure in the light of a Boehly-led consortium taking over, the new owner holds a more prominent role in the Blues' efforts to strengthen their squad ahead of the 2022-23 season, acting as the interim sporting director
There have been further departures since, with Petr Cech - who also had a hand in a number of transfers, notably Edouard Mendy - also quitting the club. And that has seen former Wales striker Dean Saunders offer some scathing analysis of the new owner and his decision to take transfer matters into his own hands.
"Why would you put yourself in the hot seat?" Saunders asked on talkSPORT. "Is he playing Football Manager?"
"Honestly, some of the owners, they've got Football Manager, so they sit in the lounge with their children and the best part of Football Manager is you buy the players, you pick the team..." he continued. "Then you come up with this idea, why don't we do it properly and buy a real football club.
"Then they try and play Football Manager with the real football club, and they realise 'uh-oh, you mean we can't buy the players? There's a manager? Who is this manager? He's in our way.'"
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Since taking over as interim sporting director, Boehly has seen his team linked with a number of high-profile signings. Raheem Sterling and Ousmane Dembele are among those mentioned in connection with the Blues, but Boehly himself has reportedly floated the idea of a move for Manchester United star Cristiano Ronaldo.
Boehly is said to have made reference to the prospect of a move during a meeting with Ronaldo's agent Jorge Mendes. However, United have hit back at the reports in no uncertain terms.
“Cristiano is not for sale,” an Old Trafford source said. “We want - and fully expect - him to be with us next season.”
As the Blues continue to push for recruits, they have had to say goodbye to defensive duo Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen. Both are out of contract, and Rudiger has already been confirmed as a Real Madrid player ahead of the new season.
Sevilla defender Jules Kounde continues to be linked with a move to Stamford Bridge, while Juventus youngster Matthijs de Ligt is also reportedly a target. Chelsea could end up offering Timo Werner to Juve as part of a deal for the Dutch defender, with the forrmer RB Leipzig striker said to potentially be open to a move.
