The wording attempted to make the implication crystal clear. The decision for Petr Cech to leave his role as Chelsea ’s technical and performance adviser later this week, with a contract ending on June 30, was his own. “With the club under new ownership, I feel now is the right time for me to step aside,” he said. “I am pleased that the club is now in an excellent position with the new owners, and I am confident of its future success both on and off the pitch.”
But it is impossible not to deduce that this is both a ruthless clearout and calculated gamble from new owner, chairman and sporting director Todd Boehly, whose hands-on approach thus far could hardly be further from the delegate-everything stance of Roman Abramovich’s latter years in charge.
Marina Granovskaia, the director who had overseen transfer and contract negotiations while the club ate up and spat out head coach after head coach, will remain available for consultancy during the first transfer window of a new era. Yet there can be little doubt that Boehly is flexing in his new domain, while Thomas Tuchel embraces a greater say over the make up of his squad having previously said he was comfortable working with Cech and Granovskaia.
