Frank Lampard insists he is "comfortable" with Todd Boehly being in the dressing room after the Chelsea owner addressed players following their defeat to Brighton.
For the third consecutive game since Lampard returned in interim charge, the Blues tasted defeat as they let a 1-0 lead slip at Stamford Bridge. And afterwards the American, who took over the club from Roman Abramovich last summer, made his feelings known to this struggling stars.
It will take a dramatic turnaround for the club's fortunes to improve this week, as they bid to overturn a 2-0 deficit in their Champions League quarter final second leg against Real Madrid on Tuesday. But facing the media ahead of the clash, Lampard dismissed the notion that Boehly's interference was a cause for concern.
"I am comfortable with that," he told reporters. "There was maybe some criticism of our old owner of not coming to the game, which wasn't always true, but when the owners are very invested in the team and want to help and improve, I think it's their prerogative to have the input they want.
"I remember as a player when the owners used to come through into the dressing room, it actually happened here at Chelsea, it didn't really happen before, and I remember being really happy that you could touch them, high-five them, feel them. So I don't think that's a bad thing when you want to get to where you want to get to."
The 44-year-old also backed the views of keeper Kepa Arrizabalaga, who had previously told reporters that Boehly visiting post-match was a regular occurrence: "Todd came to the changing rooms, every game, he had different chat with us," he said. "I'm not going to say what he said but it's normal when he came to the changing room."
The Spaniard also urged the home crowd to help inspire the side against Madrid: "Hopefully tomorrow we can involve all the fans and make the different atmosphere that we need in this game to go through," he added. "We've got to go step by step and do the right things from the beginning."
Ample comparisons have been made to Chelsea's victorious 2011/12 European campaign, when then temporary boss Roberto Di Matteo defied seemingly insurmountable odds en route to a final win over Bayern Munich. But with the Blues 11th in the table, failure to progress would essentially end their season.
Who Boehly will turn to next remains to be seen, with the club currently holding talks with Julian Nagelsmann. The US businessman has already sacked two coaches in his short tenure, parting ways with both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter.
