Struggling Chelsea star Raheem Sterling has demanded that co-owner Todd Boehly let the club's new manager have "the final say on everything."
The Blues remain without a permanent boss, as Chelsea legend Frank Lampard takes the reins on an interim basis until the end of what's been a torrid first season at the club for Sterling. Having left champions Manchester City last July for £47.5million, the England international, 28, has bared witness to the chaos around Stamford Bridge which has left his team 12th in the Premier League table.
Within a year of his consortium succeeding disgraced Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in a £4.25billion takeover, Boehly has spent £600million on new signings, sacked two managers, and meddled with a host of footballing decisions, despite having no previous experience in the sport. The American, no stranger to scrutiny, has now been told by Sterling what liberties to give the Blues' next manager, which is set to be Mauricio Pochettino as talks continue after Chelsea cut down their shortlist of candidates.
"I'm not one to tell the club what to do but from what I can gauge from where I was previously, organisation is the most important thing," the 28-year-old told Sky Sports. "Having a manager that has the final say on everything and it being his way with everyone having to follow that.
"Successful teams always have a manager that comes in, brings his blueprint and everyone follows. If there are people that don't follow, then they are not part of the team and that is how brutal it needs to be at a high level. It's a fine line between winning, coming second and being in the position we are now. It's about everyone being on the same page from my experience."
Sterling also admitted that this season has been "one of the lowest points" of his trophy-laden career, adding: "There's new ownership, the new manager that came at the start of the season, new players and some players that were meant to leave that didn't at the time, it's been an overload of players.
"It's hard for any manager to deal with. He hasn't got the right amount and we have to try and do training sessions that involve everyone because people need to be fit as well. It's difficult but every manager that's been here has dealt with it as professionally as they can, and they have never been disrespectful to any player here.
"It's been a challenge and something that we do definitely need to get sorted because if a manager is here, he wants players who are invested in what the club wants to achieve and what he wants to achieve. It's quite difficult to do that with mixed emotions in the squad. It's definitely something as a club we need to get organised."
Sterling's criticism of how Boehly and co have run the show in West London echoes the verdict of Gary Neville, who this week urged the Blues co-owner to stay out of footballing matters. "Boehly has had a nightmare and misread this league," former Manchester United captain Neville began on his Sky Sports podcast. "I'm sure he'll learn quickly.
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"What has happened this season is purely down to him. He needed to keep the footballing department together. He's the non-footballing department. You're the owner. You're not a player or a coach.
"You've got no experience in this league so stay where you are and allow the people to run the football club [who have done so] successfully over the last 10 years. Try and get a year out of them to learn the ropes and keep the stability and consistency of Chelsea."
The man himself on Wednesday reaffirmed that he views his reign at Chelsea as a long-term project. "We are committed to the long-term and we very much believe that we are going to figure it out," Boehly added at an event in Beverly Hills. "We have got the best league in the world, what I think is the top city in the world and we have an unbelievable location in the top city in the world."
