Todd Boehly has been advised to listen very carefully to the words of warning from experienced Chelsea star Thiago Silva following the Champions League exit to Real Madrid in midweek.
The veteran Brazilian centre-back has had a great career at the highest level and Garth Crooks thinks it’s significant that he chose to gave an outspoken interview in his native tongue after the loss to Madrid at Stamford Bridge.
It’s been a terrible season for Chelsea, with Boehly really not making the desired start to life with the Blues after the successful Roman Abramovich era came to an end last year.
Chelsea need to get their act together, and Crooks thinks Boehly would do well to listen to Silva and take his words very seriously.
The 38-year-old called for a strategy to be put in place to avoid another poor campaign like this, and it will be interesting to see how Boehly and this new-look CFC board can respond.
“When a footballer of Thiago Silva’s reputation feels compelled to stop in the mixed zone after a Champions League defeat and give an interview in his native tongue in order not to be misunderstood, then his club had better sit up and take notice,” Crooks wrote in his BBC Sport column.
“The Brazil international said if Chelsea did not “stop and put a strategy in place” they would suffer another difficult campaign next season. I don’t think I have ever heard a more cold, calm and calculated warning from a senior player at the top of his game delivered in years.
“If ever Todd Boehly needed to hear from someone in his camp he can trust he should look no further than Silva and take his warning very seriously.
“The owner should start by finding out what exactly that strategy actually looks like by employing a top-class manager and technical director.
“Silva has no axe to grind, he’s coming to the end of a magnificent career, and clearly wants the best for the club.
“What Chelsea must also not do is appoint a 35-year old who has less experience in the game than Silva himself.
“Employing Julian Nagelsmann is not the answer; If you are going to appoint a captain of a jumbo 747 then that captain must have more experience than some of its passengers and that is what appointing Nagelsmann will represent to those players at Chelsea – yet another novice.
“Let’s be clear here: Chelsea are in a crisis, and Boehly’s responsibility is to count the beans not to get the results. Someone who knows what winning football trophies feels like does that.”
I am in complete agreement with Thiago ‘s comments.
It is time for Todd to take a back seat and leave football to the professionals.