Brentford boss Thomas Frank took aim at Chelsea with a subtle dig over their spending in the past year when asked about his side's ambitions. The Bees have been guided to the top half while their west London counterparts sit 12th in the Premier League after an awful run of form, which has seen the Blues make a managerial change, bringing in Frank Lampard as interim.
The tough campaign has only been exacerbated by the spending under Boehly-Clearlake, having shelled out roughly £600million in the transfer market. While there was an emphasis on landing youth prospects that will grow into the best in the world for years to come, the lack of immediate improvement to the team will have been concerning.
It leaves the ownership with a key decision when it comes to the level of backing they give the next permanent manager. That looks likely to be Mauricio Pochettino at this stage, with the need to strengthen the team in plenty of areas, but in a more managed way than the past two windows.
