Didier Drogba on Chelsea: “I Don’t Recognize My Former Club”

Former Chelsea striker Didier Drogba has expressed his disappointment with the club’s current state, saying he does not “recognize the club” anymore. This comes after a poor season for the Blues, which has seen them end without a trophy despite their lavish transfer spending under new owner Todd Boehly, and likely without European competition next year as they currently sit 11th in the Premier League. Drogba, who won 12 major honours at Stamford Bridge between 2004 and 2012 under previous owner Roman Abramovich, believes the new owner and vision have changed the club drastically. Abramovich was forced to sell the club last year due to sanctions by the UK government over alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin, with American investor Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital completing a £4.25bn takeover in May 2022. They spent about £550m across the summer and winter transfer windows to amass a first-team squad of 30 players, but this has not translated into success on the pitch. Former Chelsea midfielder Gus Poyet told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast that under Abramovich, 90% of the players coming in needed to perform straight away, whereas now there is a group of players that look like they are more for the future. Interim boss Frank Lampard has dismissed suggestions the club is “broken”, though he admitted they are “not where we want to be”. He added that people will make a lot out of this season for Chelsea because they’ve had so much success, but that “the reality is that this club is going to be back”.