Frank Leboeuf has torn into Chelsea’s two £100million midfielders for displaying a lack of leadership during last night’s humiliating 3-0 defeat at Brighton.
With hopes of Champions League qualification already hanging by a thread, Chelsea’s chances of securing a top five finish suffered a knockout blow following what manager Liam Rosenior described as an unacceptable performance.
A fifth consecutive Premier League defeat without scoring a goal – the first time a Chelsea side has embarked on such an ignominious run in well over a century – has heaped pressure on a manager who was already under intense scrutiny, despite only having been hired four months ago.
Leboeuf, however, believes the managerial situation remains something of a red herring and the men most responsible for the demise of his old club sit in the boardroom, overseeing a fundamentally flawed transfer policy.
An overreliance on young, up and coming talents has left Chelsea woefully short of the nous and experience required to navigate a full season and compete for the biggest titles.
Enzo Fernandez and Moises Caicedo, two players signed for a combined total of £223million, appear ill-equipped to lead in the same fashion as the club legends listed by Leboeuf, several of whom he played alongside.
‘We have been players and we can see, My former teammate and compatriot Marcel Desailly two days ago said what we keep on saying what we have been saying,’ The France World Cup winner told ESPN FC.
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Chelsea manager for the start of the 2026/27 Premier League season
Liam Rosenior – 17/20
Filipe Luis – 5/2
Cesc Fabregas – 4/1
Oliver Glasner – 9/2
Xavi Hernandez – 6/1
Roberto De Zerbi – 15/2
Marco Silva – 9/1
Unai Emery – 10/1
Andoni Iraola – 10/1
Frank Lampard – 11/1
Fabian Hurzeler – 16/1
Luis Enrique – 20/1
Xabi Alonso – 20/1
Julian Nagelsmann – 22/1
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‘We do not have leaders in that team. We need a goalkeeper as a leader, we need a centre-half we need a midfielder.
‘Caicedo and Ezno Fernandez are not leaders. I’m sorry, I’ve seen leaders. I’ve played with Dennis Wise, I’ve played with Craig Burley, I’ve played with Roberto Di Matteo in the middle of the park.
‘They were leaders. I don’t even talk about defenders like Marcel Desailly, Steve Clarke and up front with Vialli, Gullit, Zola, those players who were successful at my time and I don’t even talk about after what we saw (under Abramovich).
‘But now enough is enough those players don’t deserve to play for Chelsea right now. They’re not good enough.
‘What can be changed now I don’t know. But next year, please to the board buy leaders. Otherwise Chelsea will never be the Chelsea we have known.’
Rosenior’s position may already appear untenable, but with a possible silver lining on the horizon in the shape of the FA Cup, Leboeuf believes it makes no sense to and the current manager’s tenure at this point in the campaign.
He added: ‘You have to wait to the Leeds game. If Rosenior goes I don’t think it will change the mindset for me.
‘You have to wait for the end of the season and rethink your future and how you want to end up being the Chelsea we all want to see back.
‘Changing Rosenior for anyone else two months before the end of the season I don’t know if it will mean anything for me.’