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WEMBLEY — There is something rather valiant about Thomas Tuchel. He is a man of conviction, and regardless of the outside noise, he will stick to his principles, no matter what.

He is clearly trying to build something with England. The “brotherhood” he speaks of so often is palpable. On another day, with a little bit more conviction, England would have seen out those final few minutes against Argentina two months ago and booked a second-ever men’s World Cup final appearance.

What is so concerning is that this is the fundamental difference between the great and the good. Winning tournaments and never-ending near misses. Tuchel taking his place in the pantheon of greats or becoming yet another who divides opinion.

Spain, on paper, cannot hold a candle to some of the individual talent England possess. Yet, in those pressurised moments, they remain unflustered, passing their opponents into submission to take home yet another trophy.

And Tuchel simply misses the point.

“I’m just wrestling with myself, because even if you control matches in the Premier League, how many English players are there in these teams that really try to control matches?” Tuchel said.

“Is this in our DNA? Do we really value control? Is this something that makes us feel good in a match? Is this something that comes easy to us?

“This is also something I’m still undecided on, because I saw training sessions on the very highest level of my career. But I see training sessions with a lot of speed, with a lot of ball speed, with a lot of physicality, with a lot of dribbling.

“So, it makes me struggle, because we’re talking about the highest-pressure moments, a semi-final against Argentina, 80% of the stadium is Argentinian. So now can you please become Spain for 15 minutes?

“It’s not how English fans cherish a match. I don’t think that an English supporter goes to a Premier League match and wants to see a controlled match and a 1-0 win, late. Deep down in the core, English players – and it’s a beautiful thing – and the spectators, they go for it.

“Let’s not play 1-0. We want to put the ball up front. And this is what I feel now that I have a tournament as an experience, I feel that this team is ready to fight, is always ready to go, and this is the beauty of it.”

Tuchel was certainly in a combative mood when naming his latest squad in a Wembley private box overlooking the pitch being readied for some American football action on Friday.

He admitted to being taken aback by some of the questioning. He, rather delusionally, insisted 99 per cent of the feedback he has received since returning home was looking back on the high points, like England’s superb display in the Azteca against Mexico, rather than the heartbreaking exits.

The fact he came out fighting should be heartening. He is right to point to England’s swashbuckling qualification campaign for the World Cup, where the goals flowed. And he is entitled to allow England to take the attack to Croatia in the group stages of a major tournament.

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A supremo of his experience and knowhow, however, should be able to instruct £100m footballers to be able to pass the ball with the same level of retention as Spain’s possession experts. Regardless of the opponents. And thus give England a better chance of finally ending decades of hurt.

“I never said this summer was a big success,” an embattled Tuchel continued. “I said there were a lot, a lot of positives about it. I think Spain relied heavily on some last-minute goals of Mikel Merino.

“So do you think if they lost the campaign they would be unhappy? I never said ‘big success’. I said it’s ‘unfulfilled’. It’s part of my review.

“But why is the expectation so high? When did we last win it? When did we ever win it? Why is the expectation so high that even bringing home a medal cannot be acknowledged? I’m not sure that I have the time to coach them to [keep the ball].”

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My Sporting Life is The i Paper’s look behind the curtain at what drives sports stars to greatness. This week, we speak to Neil “Razor” Ruddock, the former Liverpool and England defender whose hardman image made him the perfect candidate to go on and have an eclectic reality TV career after retiring from football.

Doing a TV show saved my life

I did Harry’s Heroes in 2019 with lots of ex-pros, getting us back fit to play football again. It was all about getting the message out there for men to go see a doctor, because we don’t, in case there is bad news.

In the end, I got tested when doing the show, had to be rushed to hospital and have a pacemaker fitted. Now, any campaign that gets the message out there I am all over it.

I lost Justin Edinburgh, who was my best friend, to a cardiac arrest. The most shocking thing about it was that he was the fittest 50-year-old you’d ever meet in your life. And it makes you think what could have changed if a defibrillator had been there.

Every football fan should go on the British Heart Foundation’s website at half-time of a match and learn how to use a defibrillator. It is not that hard. If I can learn how to do it in 15 minutes, the rest of the world can.

I am a big softie, really

The thing about me is on the pitch, I would rip your heart out with a spoon. But off the pitch if I hurt your feelings, I would be devastated. The big hardman image is only on the pitch.

You miss the lads, being part of a dressing room. I don’t miss training, training is hard. It is one of the greatest jobs in the world, but it is also one of the hardest.

If you have a bad day at the office, everyone knows about it. But if you have a good one, nothing is said, as that’s your job – you’re supposed to have a good one. Making my dad proud, watching him sitting in the crowd as I was playing for Liverpool, that is what it is all about.

Success is judged differently now

There was no Champions League back then, so we [Liverpool] would play in the Uefa Cup every season. If you finished fourth back then, it was seen as a failure, but teams are happy with fourth now.

You get more chances to win things now. If I had my time again I’d have listened more, drunk less. In my day, my job was to put the centre-forward off in any which way you could.

You could be more aggressive back then. You would always get one free one where I could kick anything up in the air. Those free ones now would see you sent off.

Master Chef tops I’m A Celebrity and Big Brother

Going into the jungle was tough. There was no cheating in the jungle. Rats and snakes and all that. The noises you would hear in the night were terrifying. Big Brother was amazing too, but I think my favourite was coming second in Master Chef.

When they rang me to ask me to go on, I said “I can’t cook” and they said “you’re in”. Being a chef is the only job in the world where if you put your mind to it, you will be able to do it. It is the most accessible profession out there.

Cooking is all about using your ears – when it starts sizzling too much, turn it off!

A ring bearer with a difference

Becoming best friends with Rylan was not on my radar. It is as random as it comes. A big tough south London footballer and a gay icon.

I love him. He was ring bearer at my wedding, and properly camped it up.

VAR has put me off football

I should get to more games these days but I have lost interest due to VAR. It is too stop-start, especially in the stadium. It is still opinion – there are no facts. Anything other than offside is just more opinions. And that just winds me up too much.

Ruddock was speaking after joining fellow hardmen, Roy Keane, Paul Ince, Iain Dowie and Julian Dicks to tackle defib fear, as part of the next phase of the transformative Sky Bet and British Heart Foundation’s (BHF) Every Minute Matters campaign, which has a mission to equip football fans with lifesaving CPR and defibrillation skills. Fans can learn lifesaving CPR and defibrillation skills in just 15 minutes: Search BHF RevivR and/or visit https://revivr.bhf.org.uk/

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Perhaps everyone just needs to take a breath.

Newcastle United might have crashed back down to earth with a shudder on Monday night – and the first half at Leeds was as bad as it should get this season – but Matthias Jaissle deserves a bit more patience than he has been given in certain quarters.

So, too, does the “2.0” project launched during a breakneck summer.

The 4-1 defeat at Leeds threw a sharp focus on issues that have been brewing since day one of what may turn out to be a transition season.

But until one bad result becomes a run of them, we have to keep reminding ourselves of the bigger black-and-white picture.

So here is what has happened since Leeds.

Internally, there has been “unity”. Jaissle has spoken to the club’s power brokers about the need to respond to adversity and how, in the long run, setbacks can prove a springboard for the season.

“We have to be prepared to invite adversity this season. There’s a saying: you don’t lose, you learn. So it’s about how we react,” a senior source told The i Paper.

“To be honest, given everything that happened in the summer, this moment of adversity has actually come a lot later than we expected.”

On the training ground, there is a feeling that body language has been good and the players’ reaction has been positive.

Jaissle’s messaging – he favours short, sharp training-ground missives – seems effective, and he has been adamant that he will not listen to “outside noise”.

A few observers also think he is beginning to better understand the rhythms of English football culture, and he has seemed lighter and less curt in recent press conferences.

“If there’s one setback, we shouldn’t delete our journey. It’s on us to respond,” he said at Thursday’s briefing.

But what will he do to change course?

The Newcastle boss seems steadfast about the 4-2-3-1 system that had, until Monday, delivered five points from three testing fixtures.

It is his favoured way of playing, but the Magpies have been overrun in their last two Premier League games, something that felt especially bleak at half-time at Elland Road.

He will stick to his “principles” but will consider tweaks to the approach. Part of the problem, he senses, is that Newcastle are not transitioning quickly enough into a more compact shape in defensive phases.

That will come, and returning players will help, but more time on the training ground is also needed.

As one senior source points out, there was little time to “stress test” Jaissleball before the cut and thrust of the season got under way.

Leeds look like a very good side, but standards slipped alarmingly as the game ran away from Newcastle.

That happened far too often last season, and this week has been spent reasserting those “basics”.

It will be fascinating to see how the players respond.

The manager, too, because he is still new to the scrutiny that the Premier League brings.

Nobody at Newcastle believes they have appointed their own version of Ruben Amorim, whose downfall was his refusal to deviate from a formation that was deemed unsuited to the squad at his disposal and the league in which they were competing.

Tactical fluidity was supposed to be a big selling point in the summer discussions.

Now it is up to Jaissle to prove it.

Injuries have blighted the start of his tenure.

He has lost Dan Burn, Will Osula and now Anthony Elanga to problems that nobody can do much about.

But Newcastle are asking questions about what they can do better on the medical front, while their impressive performance director James Bunce runs a continual analysis of training load.

Above all, they believe that in an ultra-competitive Premier League, and with the path they have chosen to take, they are going to have to take a few lumps during the course of the campaign.

“It’s about how we come out on Saturday afternoon,” was the verdict of one insider.

Even at this early stage of the season, that game seems crucial.

Pinpointed as a must-win fixture before the start of the campaign, Hull’s excellent start and the jitters on Tyneside make it a tricky assignment.

Of course, Newcastle’s “2.0” project will rely heavily on progress off the field matching what it is on it.

On that front, a major deal with Coca-Cola, which will sponsor the Stack fan hub, is imminent. It is awaiting a couple of signatures but has been agreed.

The four-year contract will bring in around £4m over its lifetime.

Another commercial contract, described as a “biggie”, is also close to fruition as Newcastle look to make the most of their inventory and start acting like an elite club when it comes to securing sponsorships.

They have added £11m to their bottom line through training-ground sponsorships and feel “major partners” are now more willing to jump on board.

But there is still a long way to go.

The internal belief is that revenue needs to be at the £600m mark if they are to make their aim of competing for major titles a reality.

This season, with no European football to boost them commercially, they will be hovering around the £400m mark.

That is a huge gap to make up.

The answer is to “work harder, work smarter”, and it is worth pointing out that the club’s staff headcount continues to rise.

Read more

• Explained: The latest on Newcastle’s finances – and what next for Lewis Hall
• Big read: Inside Matthias Jaissle’s new era – and the night he fell in love with Newcastle

Just this week, Newcastle advertised for a performance scientist on the back of four new roles for its rapidly growing data unit, which had an influence on recruitment decisions this summer.

All of this matters. All of this makes the club better in the future.

The message from the top? This is a long-term project that probably should not be defined by choppy autumn waters.

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Wasn’t that night in the Azteca only last week? Yet, here we are again, questioning Thomas Tuchel’s sanity.

This latest England squad selection carries more weight than it normally would in a September international break, given there are a mammoth four Nations League games to come before another Premier League ball is kicked.

And those doubts over Tuchel remain at the forefront of supporters’ minds, after those two late goals shipped against Argentina two months ago. Tuchel has not rested on his laurels, over what he believes to be a reasonable performance across the pond this summer.

Trent is back

Possibly the most startling recall is for Trent Alexander-Arnold. Tuchel would rather have given a dinner lady a squad number in the summer than add the Real Madrid full-back to his World Cup squad.

As defenders dropped like flies before and during the tournament, Tuchel refused to buckle, turning to every other defensive option, other than Alexander-Arnold, to be part of his roster.

And now, at the first opportunity, the prodigal son, who has only started two league games for Real this season, is back. Had Ben White or Reece James been fit, then we might not be having this conversation. The fact we are still seems strange.

No MGW, again

As our beloved Daniel Storey never misses an opportunity to opine, Morgan Gibbs-White is the top goalscoring midfielder in Europe’s top five leagues. And yet, a player with 68 minutes across three Premier League matches so far this season gets the nod instead.

Had Eberechi Eze justified his surprise inclusion in Tuchel’s World Cup squad, we perhaps could allow for such an aberration. But one goal, for club and country, since November last year, tells its own story. What more does Gibbs-White have to do?

“It makes no sense to have four or five No 10s,” Tuchel said. “We can see he is a key player for Forest. It is one thing to be picked, but another thing to perform for England.”

Palmer gets instant recall

After the start to the season he has made, having developed a bourgeoning partnership with another England star, Morgan Rogers, Cole Palmer’s recall to the squad is not surprising in itself.

It just represents such a rapid turnaround from Tuchel, who was alarmingly critical of Palmer after omitting him from his World Cup squad, insisting the Chelsea forward had “never done anything” for his England team.

“Cole has his start that he always had but he has his numbers back,” Tuchel said. “He has his assists back, he has decisive goals back so that is why he is in the squad. I think he has a point to prove.”

Lewis-Skelly over Wharton as midfielder

Adam Wharton is an unusual case. In another life, he would be playing for Liverpool, as the heartbeat of their midfield, and be a regular for England. Yet, he remains at Crystal Palace and cannot get a look-in with the national side.

The latest to jump ahead of him in the pecking order is Myles Lewis-Skelly, who has had quite the few months.

The Arsenal utility player is so adaptable he is very much a football coach’s dream. That will be of little consolation to Wharton, however.

Mainoo still there

One of only a handful of England players not to get a kick this summer was Kobbie Mainoo. Having worked so hard to turn things around under Michael Carrick last season at Manchester United, to remain on the outside looking in will have been a bitter blow.

His inclusion again, however, must be viewed as a huge compliment, given just how many alternatives Tuchel has in that position. The German’s warm words must also be welcome.

“I expect him to be on the pitch [this month],” he said. “And it’s my duty to put him on the pitch. “That [not playing at the World Cup] was totally on me. He didn’t put a foot wrong in the World Cup. “He was class in behaviour and on the training pitch.”

Scott wins rookie race

Alex Scott is another who will surely be the next fledgling talent to leave Bournemouth for a big club. All the summer speculation has not affected the midfield metronome’s form one bit.

Josh King was another starlet vying for a place, with Tuchel insisting the Fulham youngster was close.

Scott is the one who gets the nod, where he will be able to showcase his talents to a much wider audience. Expect something special.

Read more

• Michael Hincks: Thomas Tuchel is taking us all for fools
• Daniel Storey: We all owe Gareth Southgate an apology

Hall chance to lay down marker

Lewis Hall has the opportunity of a lifetime ahead of him. Missing out on a move to Manchester United could be seen as a chance missed, but now, back in the England set up, he can really make his mark again.

Full-back is one of the most accessible positions for England nowadays, having been a closed shop for years.

Hall has the ability to make a starting spot his own in the coming weeks, and is likely to get the opportunity to do just that.

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Ahead of West Ham United’s first visit to Millwall since 2011, the news that David Sullivan will not be in attendance at The Den appears somewhat ironic.

The West Ham shareholder and controversial former vice-chairman, who resigned from his key role and directorship at the club in June amid allegations of misconduct, will not be at the highly-charged Championship clash in south-east London.

Sullivan had been asked not to attend games at the London Stadium, but his presence at the Charlton Athletic fixture last month was described as “deliberately provocative” by the West Ham Fan Advisory Board. He then attended home matches against Wolverhampton Wanderers, Derby County and Wrexham.

It comes as the 77-year-old has seen his shareholding in West Ham increase from 38.8 to 40 per cent as a consequence of Daniel Kretinsky taking advantage of pre-emptive share rights to firm up his post as majority shareholder.

The shift in the Hammers’ ownership has thwarted recent attempts by businesswoman and former Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley to obtain a 25.1 per cent stake in the club after a binding agreement was reached in August with Vanessa Gold, the club’s joint-chair.

West Ham’s existing board members subsequently blocked the deal by triggering their contractual “pre-emption rights” (right of first refusal).

From an on-field perspective, West Ham are on a four-game winning streak in their quest for a return to the Premier League following relegation to the second tier last season.

Nuno Espirito Santo’s side – favourites to win the Championship – are top of the table on goal difference prior to the eagerly-anticipated clash at Millwall, where absence has not made mutual hearts grow fonder on either side of the Thames.

Has the positivity on the pitch tempered some of the anger at Sullivan’s seemingly intractable position, with supporters keen on a fresh start at ownership level?

At one point, it appeared Staveley, husband Mehrdad Ghodoussi, and their vehicle PCP Capital Partners would become involved and potentially contribute to significant structural changes around the London Stadium. However, such a development appears to be in the east London long grass for now.

“I think if David Sullivan was going to leave he would have done so by now,” a club source told The i Paper.

“After everything that has gone on over the last few months and beyond, you might have thought that would be the case. But he tends to come along (to games) and simply has the air of someone who couldn’t care less what supporters think of him.

“You don’t get to where he is without making a few enemies along the way. There’s nothing new about that in business, but when you are a high-profile figure of a big football club where the fans, by and large, want you out, then it becomes an ongoing problem that can only be solved with Sullivan leaving.

“Sullivan knows all about his unpopularity – how could you not? This is someone, remember, who attends the London Stadium even when police and Newham council strongly recommended that he doesn’t, due to the potential of disorder.”

Despite supporters marching in their thousands from Stratford station to London Stadium last November, Sullivan remains unmoved.

“It’s almost as if he (Sullivan) regards himself as a Trump-like figure,” the source added.

“Completely self-satisfied and immune to everyone and all the public criticism around him. Yes, he has resigned from the board but he now has 40 per cent of the club shareholding, so in that sense it looks like, for the moment, he isn’t going anywhere.”

Kretinsky, owner of Royal Mail, has made all the right noises in relation to West Ham’s governance after Staveley’s consortium was denied a stake. The Czech businessman has been criticised by fans for his lack of regular visits to London Stadium.

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“Now that Kretinsky has an increased stake in the club, it seems like he has re-established a strong controlling position at West Ham,” added the source. “What he may or may not choose to do in terms of changing the infrastructure, for instance, aspects of the stadium, is hard to say. It may well be that Kretinsky believes that the London Stadium setup right now is fine.

“It was certainly interesting when Staveley showed interest in buying into the club and the fans were really enthusiastic when Vanessa Gold agreed to sell the majority of shares to her, subject to the pre-emptive rights. Of course, that didn’t transpire in the end.

“Ultimately, despite the issues around Sullivan, the big winner is Vanessa Gold. I think her heart has always been in the right place with West Ham, especially since her dad David passed. She was mindful of her responsibility.

“She has now just received around £151m to essentially sit back with what is now a token shareholding of about two per cent without much responsibility now.”

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Leicester City’s owners must accept the reality their 2016 fairytale counts for nothing when looking to sell the club.

King Power are actively seeking to end their 16-year reign of the Foxes, with investment bank Citigroup overseeing the sale.

A valuation of more than £200m had been reported in August, taking into account Leicester’s major assets, including their stadium and world-class training complex.

However, King Power chief executive and Leicester chair Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha would be fortunate to receive anything close to that figure, with the club’s Premier League triumph a decade ago carrying far less weight than the fact they are currently a League One outfit.

“The valuation is on the high side,” Loughborough University sports finance expert Dan Plumley tells The i Paper.

“It’s probably more of a top-end Championship club valuation rather than their current position in League One. Revenue will have dropped compared to the Premier League days.

“However, they will be factoring in other assets that they own. The training complex is huge so there is some value in that.”

What is a fair price for Leicester City?

Plumley points towards Sheffield United’s £105m sale as a helpful comparison, although the Blades were top of the Championship at the time of their takeover in December 2024.

Leicester meanwhile are 13th in League One after six games, having suffered the ignominy of double relegation amid financial breaches and supporter protests.

The Foxes naturally hope to bounce back, but Plumley estimates potential buyers may chase a sale closer to £100m given the club’s current standing.

“It’s really tricky,” Plumey says. “I would assume the revenue would have dropped to around £80-100m. If you work off that and a small multiplier plus the training ground and assets, I think you could get to a rough estimate of around £130-150m.

“But if I’m the buyer, I’m probably trying to push that down to around £100m. All are estimates, though, and a lot of it based on ‘feel’ and comparative sales like Sheffield United.”

Debts and administration threats

On Tuesday, Leicester confirmed they had converted £8.5m of owner debts into new shares. King Power also wrote off £194m three years ago.

“The owners have always supported the club financially and have written off debt in the past to help them financially,” Plumley adds.

Meanwhile, rumours of an administration threat seem far-fetched for now. The club were deducted six points last season for financial breaches, but a careful summer transfer window alluded to the Foxes addressing losses in previous years.

They sold Jeremy Monga to Manchester City for £10m in July, and spent just £4.7m on players compared to the £43m they made in sales.

“On administration, that comes down to cash to keep going day to day. We can’t see that from the outside looking in so it’s tough to say how bad it is,” Plumley says.

“Expect them to continue pushing to sell the club though, that’s clear. And probably some more player departures in the winter window if the club is still in limbo sale wise.”

Who wants to buy Leicester?

Currently only Scottish-Indian businessman Neil Lal has publicly expressed his interest, telling Talksport his Bharat Consortium Group consortium – featuring three other investors – have made an offer.

“We are all wealthy businessmen,” Lal said last week. “We have contacted the board directly, which saves time. It is now a waiting game.”

On the reported £200m valuation, Lal added: “Leicester is valued as a successful Championship club, and yet it’s in League One. So, for me, the valuation is over the top.

“If, God forbid, Leicester ever drops down to League Two, financially, it’s Armageddon. It really is… My fear is if this [form] continues for the long term, over the next two-four months, and Leicester’s not playing well in the league, then unfortunately, we are going to have to review the situation and possibly walk. And I don’t want to do that. The foundations are there, but the problem is the financial stability is not.”

Read more

Daniel Storey: Leicester City ignored their fans. Now they are paying the price

Michael Hincks: Leicester City and the great £34m reset

The i Paper understands no formal engagements have taken place with the club despite the reported expressions of interest.

Reports of Saudi boxing mogul Turki Al-Sheikh being sounded out, just weeks after he pulled out of a takeover for Derby County, also remain rumour for now.

The i Paper contacted both Leicester City and Citigroup for comment.

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The most instructive line in a 528-word Chelsea statement packed with management speak and consultant-ese that your common or garden AI tool could have knocked up in seconds was about the immediate future of the club: “There will be no changes to the day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy”.

Which, given that the actual chairman was leaving and 25 per cent of the club’s shareholding was being sold, is quite the statement. It had the whiff, presumably accidental, of “We’ve got it now. The grown-ups have taken over”. Farewell Todd Boehly, how weirdly well we felt we all knew ye.

As several Chelsea supporters pointed out, changes to strategy and leadership might be worth considering given the tumultuous manner in which this club has operated over the last half decade. The statement also claimed an “unwavering commitment” to the “fundamental belief that the supporters are at the heart of everything”, which must come as a nice surprise to those fans who were moved to campaign over BlueCo’s multi-club operation and ticket pricing.

Boehly is the fall guy because this guy always looked likely to fall. He arrived as the great US disruptor who created only a mess and whose most significant impact upon English football culture was bringing amortisation from the boardroom to the streets. It’s net spend for the Snapchat generation.

His time at Chelsea was a web of illogical – and often farcical – dichotomies, not so much “do as I say not as I do” but more try to ignore both and hope that things find a way to work anyway. He was the outsider who famously had never heard of Ruud Gullit yet considered himself a reasonable choice as de facto sporting director for a transfer window or two – weirdly it went wrong.

He was the guy who declared that Chelsea needed to be patient six days before Mauricio Pochettino was sacked following a performance review. He was the American who wanted to learn about British football but almost immediately talked up an “All-Star game” in the calendar. He wanted to improve Chelsea’s academy but name-checked Mohamed Salah and Kevin De Bruyne as successful graduates to aspire to.

He wanted to bring the good times back to a club that had experienced quite a lot of good times in their recent past and, during his tenure, finished 12th, sixth, fourth and 10th in the Premier League. He said that he wanted to make fans proud and eventually saw them protest, not least because the club announced world-record annual losses despite effectively selling hotels and the women’s team to themselves.

Here’s the punchline: none of that really caused Boehly to leave. Instead, the relationship between him and Clearlake’s Behdad Eghbali, the two pillars of Chelsea’s ownership, became increasingly strained over stadium expansion inaction. It became the perfect emblem of the club: lots of money and more grand ambition, but more ego still and conflicting ideas so as a result nobody agrees on anything and nothing gets done.

Boehly was also never Chelsea’s majority owner. Although he clearly made a number of high-profile errors, he was authorised to make those errors by those around him. In many ways he has been a useful stooge for those people: something has gone wrong at Chelsea, it must be that daft American with all his silly ideas.

Read more

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Ultimately, Boehly got the flak for most missteps and others within the club must have been happy with that status or they would have moved to change that narrative. If Chelsea have been living on the edge so emphatically for five years, where were those who might have pulled them back? This was sold as a daft one-man morality tale; it wasn’t.

Chelsea need the stadium issue deciding, planning and executing. They need to reduce vast annual losses, even if that means shifting the transfer model. They need to stop the cycle of managers – none have done more than 100 games since Antonio Conte. They need to win a domestic trophy – it will be nine years in 2027. They need to finish in the Premier League’s top two – it’ll be 10 in 2027.

That is the headline here now. Not that Boehly has gone, but that Eghbali and Jose Feliciano have lost their human shield. They always had the influence. Now they have the spotlight too. And if things continue to stumble and stutter, Chelsea as the gold-plated, diamond-encrusted clown car, questions will be asked. If Boehly was the problem, what happens when Boehly isn’t there to blame anymore?

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