It has been all change at Chelsea this summer as the new era under Todd Boehly begins.
The American businessman completed his purchase of the club from Roman Abramovich at the end of May and has set about making his mark at Stamford Bridge.
Three of Abramovich’s closest allies – director Marina Granovskaia, sports consultant Petr Cech and chairman Bruce Buck – have all headed for the exit as part of Boehly’s shake up.
It has led to a chaotic summer in west London, all while manager Thomas Tuchel has been trying to build on the team’s third-place finish in the Premier League last season.
As the Blues prepare to face Everton in their opening game, Sportsmail recaps a mad couple of months for the club.
Chelsea get their Premier League campaign under way with a trip to Everton on Saturday
Todd Boehly making himself sporting director
Following the departure of Granovskaia, there were more than a few eyebrows raised when Boehly announced that he would be taking on the role of interim sporting director himself.
Granovskaia led Chelsea’s transfer dealings under Abramovich and was regarded as one of the toughest negotiators in football, so leaves a gaping hole on the club’s board.
While Boehly has experience in sports club ownership with the LA Dodgers, taking on such responsibility and managing the recruitment drive of one of the world’s biggest football teams is a completely different ball game. Quite literally.
Todd Boehly’s lack of experience in the transfer market has left the Blues exposed at times
The American’s lack of experience in the market, particularly when it comes to transfer negotiations, has been exposed and Chelsea have missed out on a number of key targets as a result.
Gary Neville has even made an early comparison between Boehly and unpopular former Manchester United chief executive Ed Woodward.
‘He [Boehly] has fronted a fund that’s paid two and a half billion quid, but to get rid of all that football operation that’s been unbelievable for that many years and come in and do it yourself, it does feel like Ed Woodward that to me,’ the former United defender said on The Overlap.
Failing to sign key transfer targets
Boehly’s approach in the transfer market has certainly been aggressive, with Chelsea securing the signings of Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly and now Marc Cucurella, but he has also made key mistakes.
The naivety of the new Blues owner has been exploited by other clubs, in particular Barcelona. Boehly…