Ruud Gullit has accused ’s owners of lacking ‘heart’ and having ‘no affection’ for the club.
The west Londoners have struggled on the pitch since co-owners and Behdad Eghbali took over from Roman Abramovich in May 2022, despite spending over £1 billion on players.
Chelsea suffered a poor 12th-placed finish in the last term as the club’s hierarchy sacked head coaches and Graham Potter before bringing in Frank Lampard as a caretaker manager until the end of the season.
The Blues owners opted for a new head coach in the summer, securing the services of Mauricio Pochettino, but Chelsea are again struggling and find themselves 10th after their opening 14 games of the 2023-24 campaign.
Former Chelsea star Gullit has now taken aim at Boehly and Eghbali as he told : ‘I think that a lot of troubles have come because the current owners have no affection for the club and they bought it solely due to a business decision.
‘We can’t forget, though, that European football is all about emotion. The fans are emotionally invested, and I think that can collide with the reality of where the club is.
‘You can see the same thing happening at Manchester United – the fans want the club to win every week.
‘Silvio Berlusconi was an AC Milan fan, for example, and he was there every week during his time as owner. He even came to training every Friday. He was passionate about it.
‘Ernesto Pellegrini was the same at Inter. He was there all the time. They led from the heart.
‘Nowadays, it’s almost as if football is more of a business venture and there isn’t as much heart. It can collide with the fans, as I said.’
