Joe Cole fears Chelsea’s malaise may lead to some high-profile departures ahead of the summer transfer window.
Chelsea enjoyed a largely promising campaign last season under former boss Enzo Maresca, winning the Club World Cup and Conference League while qualifying for the Champions League.
But Maresca departed Stamford Bridge in January following a run of underwhelming performances and a fall-out along with his bosses.
Liam Rosenior’s reign began brightly but Chelsea have struggled over the past two months, losing to London rivals Arsenal within the Carabao Cup and winning just certainly one of their last six league games.
That poor run of form has seen Chelsea slip to sixth within the Premier League, six points outside the top-four places, with seven games remaining.
To make matters worse Chelsea also suffered an embarrassing Champions League defeat to PSG, losing 8-2 on aggregate after being outplayed by the French champions.
Cole is reluctant in charge Rosenior for Chelsea’s struggles, nevertheless, and believes the problems return to the owners who purchased the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022.
Get your football fix
Metro‘s weekly newsletter In The Mixer delivers punchy evaluation and breakdowns of the largest football stories on to your inbox.
Join here, it’s an open goal.
Chelsea have spent over £1billion on players because the takeover but Cole has accused the owners of running the club ‘like a business’ fairly than a football team able to competing for major trophies.
In consequence Cole believes Premier League rivals Arsenal and Manchester City are ‘streets ahead’ of Chelsea and says players will get increasingly ‘frustrated’ and begin looking for moves away from west London.
Club-record signing Enzo Fernandez has already opened the door to a summer move and Cole can be concerned Cole Palmer could also be questioning his long-term future on the club.
Palmer has been one of the vital exciting players within the Premier League since his £40m move from Manchester City in 2023, scoring 46 goals and providing 20 assists.
However the 23-year-old has been linked with a move away from Chelsea, with Manchester United reportedly keeping tabs on his situation.
‘You’ll be able to say what you want concerning the Roman Abramovich era nevertheless it was built with one thing in mind and that was to win trophies,’ Cole said on The Dressing Room podcast.
‘It was pitch from the football pitch outwards. Under Roman Chelsea wanted the very best managers we could get and the very best players we could get. The concept was to try to win every game and win every trophy.
‘When that didn’t occur we’re going to vary the manager, which will be chaotic, and we’re going to vary players. We’re selling them if we now have to.
‘You all knew what was happening, right? Now the brand new ownership group has are available in they usually spent a variety of money initially, wasted a variety of money, for my part, on not getting the suitable players in through the door.”
‘Over £1billion has been spent on the premise that these lads will develop and turn into players, and a few of them will turn into great players.
‘However the Chelsea fans are upset because they don’t feel like they’re competing, and they’re probably not.
‘You’re not buying players to win games of football, you’re buying players as an asset and I don’t think that ever works.
Should Chelsea sack Liam Rosenior?
Yep, it is time to go!
Nope – he needs more time
‘You’re running the club like a business and the fans know when they’re being lied to, they know once they’re effectively being duped.
‘Do what I mean? If the owners come out and say we’re going to purchase younger players and balance the books and if it [success] happens it happens.
‘The fans won’t prefer it, but at the very least it’s honest. But Chelsea are not attempting to compete with Manchester City and Arsenal, since you can’t. How can they compete with these signings? They’ll’t. Man City and Arsenal are streets ahead in the meanwhile.’
Asked about players potentially looking elsewhere given the situation at Chelsea, Cole added: ‘They’re frustrated. And also you get into that position now, where the very best players are going to start out going…
‘If you’re Cole Palmer you’re pondering, I could go and play anywhere on the earth. Like, what’s happening here? Do what I mean?’
Chelsea suffered a demoralising 3-0 defeat at Everton last outing and return to motion this weekend with a FA Cup quarter-final against Port Vale.
Rosenior’s side then face recent Carabao Cup winners Manchester City and their local rivals Manchester United in back-to-back Premier League games.
For more stories like this, check our sport page.
Follow Metro Sport for the newest news on
Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
MORE: Gabriel Jesus names Arsenal star who can ‘do the whole lot’ and makes title claim
MORE: Man Utd urged to sign £100m England star ahead of Arsenal and Liverpool
MORE: Emmanuel Petit claims £40m star wants to depart Chelsea after Enzo Fernandez