This will go down as one of the worst nights in Chelsea history. They were handed a 3-0 defeat at Stamford Bridge, 8-2 on aggregate, to be knocked out of the Champions League round of 16. Four years into the BlueCo project, this might very well be the lowest point of the Clearlake-Boehly ownership era.
It is very clear that a large section of the Chelsea fanbase has already given up on things improving. This might very well be the new norm for the Blues. After all, at no point have the owners shown any indication that they are interested in making a course correction. On the contrary, a brief came out this week about how they believed that the project was moving in the right direction.
Well, if this looks like the right direction, one has to wonder what things looked like on the wrong turn. Anyways, things might only be starting to get bad for Chelsea.
Their top players are not going to stick around if they don’t start competing. In fact, this summer, quite a few could be heading for the exit door.
Enzo Fernandez does not rule out Chelsea exit
Gaston Edul, one of the most reliable journalists in Argentine football, had recently reported how there were chances of Fernandez leaving in the summer. And the player himself did not rule it out after the loss to PSG.
Fernandez said on his future with the club (via Chelsea Dodgers): “I don’t know, there are 8 games left and the FA Cup. There’s the World Cup and then we’ll see.”
Fernandez could be eyeing Chelsea exit and he might not be the only one
When a player starts talking like that, you have to really wonder what the future holds. Yes, these players might have long-term contracts. But that rarely means much in football. Just look at all the names that have successfully gotten engineered exits even when clubs did not want them to leave.
That could very easily turn out to be the case with Fernandez. And can you blame him? He is a World Cup winner. When Chelsea signed him, clearly he would not have expected to be in this shaky of a position, three years later. The Argentine is constantly linked with the likes of Real Madrid and PSG. Why would he not go there instead of struggling to even make the Champions League at Stamford Bridge?
The issue is, Fernandez might not be the only one eyeing an exit. Just look at Cole Palmer this season. His performances have gone down several levels. And you cannot simply sweep the persistent Manchester United rumours under the carpet anymore. Especially as they look set to qualify for the Champions League while Chelsea look lost.
And how much longer until Moises Caicedo starts looking to leave? If Chelsea don’t improve, that might be inevitable as well.
That is the reality that BlueCo are staring at. If things don’t change, Chelsea might end up as the feeder club to Europe’s elite rather than being one of them.
