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Football London
Football London
Sport
Will Freeman

Richard Keys slams Chelsea owner Todd Boehly as Jose Mourinho theory shared

Todd Boehly has been criticised by former Sky Sports presenter Richard kKeys for his handling of the managerial role at Chelsea after sacking Graham Potter at the weekend.

On Sunday, Potter was sacked after just seven months in charge, with just three Premier League wins in the entirety of 2023 leading to a decision being made. Keys, who now presents football coverage on Qatari network beIN Sports, said that Boehly had 'created a shambles' and, despite valid criticisms of Potter, he felt sorry for the former Brighton boss.

Chelsea spent over £300 million in the January transfer market, a spree which coincided with Potter's worst run of form at Chelsea and Keys has linked the spending to what he described as a 'shambles'. This also comes after the sacking of Champions League winning manager Thomas Tuchel in September, following a failure to agree on their respective long-term visions.

READ MORE: Oliver Glasner and Ruben Amorim named as potential Chelsea options after Graham Potter sack

Keys explained his view on the sacking of Potter: "What a shambles the owner of Chelsea, Todd Boehly, has created at The Bridge. Potter’s sacking was inevitable and overdue. Sacking him isn’t a mistake - sacking Tuchel was.

"I really wanted Potter to succeed, but it’s been evident for weeks that he was out of his depth. This morning he’s got to be as relieved as he is rich. What other business rewards failure like football does? It’s madness.

"Potter will come again - perhaps somewhere like Leicester? Or maybe Southampton - as I suggested a couple of weeks ago. It would appear that Chelsea want to take their time finding a new coach. Is that because they’re prepared to wait for Mourinho?

"If they don’t appoint until the end of the season don’t rule it out. There’s no way he would walk out on Roma now but he might if he delivers a CL place and a trophy. Chelsea is his home."

Boehly took over the club last May and did not immediately appoint a Director of Football or Sporting Director, instead choosing to deal with transfers himself. This led to signings such as Kalidou Koulibaly and Raheem Sterling being made for large sums which have yet to yield the expected returns.

Bruno Saltor has become interim boss for the foreseeable future whilst the club begins the process of considering a number of candidates ahead of a permanent appointment. Mauricio Pochettino, Zinedine Zidane and Luis Enrique have all been linked with the vacant position, while Julian Nagelsmann remains a serious contender to replace Potter, football.london understands.

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