Thomas Tuchel has been warned that Chelsea could slip into the same trap as Arsenal and Manchester United following the club's takeover. The Blues will be under new ownership from Monday after the consortium led by Todd Boehly reached a definitive agreement to complete its £4.25billion purchase from Roman Abramovich.
The west London side have kickstarted the tenure at Stamford Bridge in a promising fashion, with the American billionaire seemingly eager to splash the cash this summer. Boehly's consortium are expected to 'push for A-list signings' to mark a new era at Stamford Bridge, according to the MailOnline.
And, with the new ownership group eager to bolster the Blues armoury, The Telegraph indicate that, after player sales are taken into account, Tuchel is set to have £200million at his disposal to strengthen his side. However, while the future may seem bright, Paul Merson has warned the fans, and the German boss alike, that the club could fall down the same route as Arsenal and United.
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"It's a relief for everyone at Stamford Bridge that Todd Boehly's takeover has gone through and they can finally sign players again," Merson told the Daily Mirror.
"But Chelsea is just a toy for them to play with. Look at all the other American owners in the Premier League - their US sports teams all do better than the teams they own over here. Look at Stan Kroenke at Arsenal. Why are the LA Rams winning the Superbowl while Arsenal are coming fifth? Because that's where their priorities are.
"Look at Manchester United. The Glazers have won the Superbowl with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But how long is it now since United challenged for the title? Chelsea's new owners are not going to invest the sort of money Roman Abramovich did. Those days are over."
Boehly and Tuchel are reportedly keen to undergo a rebuild at the club amid an exodus of players, with the likes of Declan Rice, Jules Kounde and Christopher Nkunku all linked with moves. The West Ham midfielder topped the west London side's shortlist in the summer, but a move was delayed after a £100m evaluation was tipped 'steep', according to The Athletic - though, now David Moyes has quoted £150m for Rice's services.
According to Goal, the groundwork has been put in place to sign Kounde once sanctions on Chelsea are lifted and the takeover is complete. The 23-year-old is said to be 'desperate' to swap the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan for Stamford Bridge this summer, The Sun claim.
Meanwhile, Chelsea remain interested in RB Leipzig attacker Nkunku ahead of the summer transfer window, football.london understand. He has two years remaining on his deal with the Bundesliga club, and the west Londoners are looking to take advantage of this. However, it is understood that Leipzig and Nkunku are in talks over a new deal.
