Chelsea’s co‑owner, Behdad Eghbali, recently opened up about the club’s direction in a candid interview at the CAA World Congress of Sports in Los Angeles. He explained that the ownership group intends to start bringing in "ready‑made" talent to bolster the squad, and he also addressed the surprising departure of former head coach Enzo Maresca, describing it as a change that was not part of the club’s original plan. Eghbali, who co‑founded Clearlake Capital – the firm that holds a majority stake in BlueCo, the consortium that acquired Chelsea and also owns Ligue 1 side Strasbourg – spoke on a range of topics, from the current state of the first team to the longer‑term vision for player recruitment. One of the focal points of his remarks was the situation surrounding current manager Liam Rosenior.
Chelsea are currently teetering on the edge of missing out on next season’s Champions League. They sit four points behind Liverpool, who occupy the fifth spot, and have managed only one win in their last seven Premier League outings, losing the most recent three matches. The club’s form has dipped sharply since Maresca’s abrupt exit on New Year’s Day, leaving Rosenior to pick up the pieces. "Our policy has been no in‑season head‑coach changes," Eghbali said, emphasizing that the club prefers to evaluate and hold accountable not just the manager but also the broader sporting and management teams during the off‑season, rather than making reactive changes in the middle of a campaign.
"You certainly review and hold not only the manager, but the management team, the sporting team, accountable, but typically in the summers, not in season." He went on to describe Maresca’s departure as a development that the club did not anticipate. "It’s not a change we wanted to make," he explained. "It’s a change that had a bit of a negative impact on the season when you’re changing systems and personnel, and it’s one we’ve got to fight our way out of." Despite the setbacks, Eghbali remains optimistic about the remaining fixtures. Chelsea still have six league games left, plus an FA Cup semi‑final on the horizon.
"Hopefully the story of this season hasn’t been written yet," he said. "When you get punched in the face, you have to fight back, stand up and keep going. That will show the character of this squad." Stability, according to Eghbali, is the key theme. "I think the perspective is stability, and frankly, getting that stability on the manager side is one of the things we haven’t done right yet, and it’s something we’re striving to improve on," he added.
When asked about Rosenior’s future, Eghbali was supportive. "On Liam, we had the opportunity to work with him daily for 18‑plus months, so we knew what we were getting," he said.
"We think he has every attribute to be successful here. He got off to a great start. We’ve had a tough past five, six matches, but I think we’re behind Liam.
Of course it’s a results business, but we think he can be successful long term." The co‑owner also touched on Chelsea’s youth‑centric recruitment policy, acknowledging that the club still needs more seasoned players to complement its home‑grown talent. "The view was to recruit and build elite players that can, frankly, be together and have that stability in the squad.
We’re still in the 40th, 50th minute of that process," he said. He outlined a broader blueprint: retain and extend contracts with the world’s best players, while also adding a handful of proven, ready‑made stars to raise the overall level. "You need eight, ten, twelve, fifteen elite players to win and win sustainably, year after year.
I think we’ve done a few things right, a lot of things right. We’ve got to be better on a few things, to add more ready‑made players at this part of the project, to take it to the next level, to be consistent over time." Outside the stadium, a small group of Chelsea supporters have announced plans to join Strasbourg fans in a protest against the owners ahead of Saturday’s home match against Manchester United. The demonstration underscores the growing frustration among some sections of the fan base. Eghbali reiterated that BlueCo remains fully committed to refining its ownership strategy and delivering the major trophies that defined the club under former owner Roman Abramovich.
"For the fans, we care. We want the club to be successful.
We’re focused on delivering that on‑pitch performance," he affirmed. He acknowledged the mixed results of the past six months, noting that the club experienced a period of optimism followed by recent disappointment. "There’s a full reflection on what we can do better, what we can improve on. There is a plan.
We reflect on the plan. We try to improve the plan and tweak the plan if it’s not working. The message is we’re committed," he said. When pressed on whether success is possible without winning trophies, Eghbali was unequivocal: "The answer is no.
We’ve got to win. It doesn’t mean you’re going to win every game, it doesn’t mean you don’t make mistakes, that you don’t have downturns, but ultimately the objective, especially for a club like Chelsea, is you’ve got to win, you’ve to win trophies, and you’ve got to win consistently again." He reminded listeners that Chelsea had enjoyed a trophy‑laden season just a year earlier, and while this campaign has been uneven, the club’s ambition remains unchanged.
"We were fortunate enough to do so last year. We’ve had a bit of an up and down year this year, but the objective hasn’t changed." In summary, Eghbali’s interview paints a picture of a club at a crossroads: a need for immediate reinforcement, a desire for managerial stability, and a long‑term vision that blends youthful exuberance with experienced excellence.
The next few weeks, including the FA Cup semi‑final and the final league fixtures, will be crucial in determining whether Chelsea can turn the tide and re‑establish themselves among England’s elite.