Didier Drogba accuses Chelsea of ‘lacking class’ under new owner Todd Boehly

Didier Drogba has accused his former club Chelsea of ‘lacking class’ under new owner Todd Boehly.

Chelsea news, exclusives and analysis

A consortium led by American investor Boehly and private equity firm Clearlake Capital bought Chelsea from Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich earlier this year.

Boehly is a part-owner of seven-time baseball champions LA Dodgers and NBA franchise Los Angeles Lakers, but was taking his first step into elite football by purchasing Premier League club Chelsea.

The 48-year-old has had a busy start to his tenure at Stamford Bridge, spending more than £250m on new signings over the summer and then sacking manager Thomas Tuchel after just seven games of the 2022-23 season.

Boehly has come under fire after suggesting the Premier League should launch a North versus South All-Star game and also for reportedly sacking several members of Chelsea’s backroom team, including their head of medical and chief physio.

Drogba is one of a number of Chelsea legends who had a good relationship with former Blues owner Roman Abramovich and the legendary striker believes the Stamford Bridge club are ‘lacking class’ under the Russian’s replacement.

‘I knew this club with a certain class during the Roman Abramovich era, but today I find it lacking,’ Drogba, who won four league titles and the Champions League at Chelsea, told Canal+.

‘It’s very hard for me to see how they got rid of certain people, for example the physiotherapists, who were there for a very long time. They should go back to the principles and values they had.’

Earlier this week, Drogba’s former Chelsea team-mate Michael Ballack criticised Boehly for sacking Tuchel, calling it a ‘incomprehensible’ decision.

Antonio Cassano aims brutal dig at Pierre-Emerick