Borussia Dortmund manager Edin Terzic has taken a swipe at Chelsea’s spending after his team were knocked out of the Champions League by the Premier League club. Chelsea won 2-1 on aggregate on Tuesday, with goals from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz securing their place in the quarter-finals. Terzic, whose team lost their first game of 2023, said that his side did more than enough to compete with Chelsea, who have spent over £600m on players since the summer.
Speaking to BT Sport after the match, Terzic said that losing three players who had been in form in recent weeks was part of the game, but added that his team had adapted well and had enough quality to compete with Chelsea. He also said that he did not want to compete with Chelsea in the transfer market, but rather on the pitch, and felt that his team had done that twice.
Terzic played down the controversial penalty incident which saw Havertz miss – and then score – after he was forced to retake it due to encroachment. Chelsea were awarded the initial spot kick for a handball from Marius Wolf following a lengthy VAR check which saw referee Halil Umut Meler go over to the monitor to review the decision. Terzic said that he thought it was a tight call and a tight decision, but did not want to talk about the referee.
Reflecting on the match, Terzic said that in the first 10 minutes, he could feel the power not just from Chelsea but from the stadium. However, he felt that his team came back into the game but were unable to score, despite having a clear chance through Bellingham. He added that his team only had a couple of counter-attacks to defend and did not create much later in the game.
Chelsea’s spending has been a topic of discussion in recent years, with the club investing heavily in players such as Havertz, Timo Werner, and Ben Chilwell. The club’s owner, Roman Abramovich, has been known for his willingness to spend big on players in order to achieve success on the pitch. However, Terzic’s comments suggest that Dortmund are more focused on developing their own talent and competing with other teams based on their performance on the pitch.
Overall, Terzic’s comments reflect a growing sentiment among some football fans and pundits that excessive spending by clubs can have a negative impact on the sport. While there is no doubt that investing in top-quality players can help teams achieve success, there is also concern that it can lead to a widening gap between rich and poor clubs and make it more difficult for smaller teams to compete. As such, it will be interesting to see how clubs like Chelsea respond to criticism of their spending in the coming years.