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Former Chelsea boss Andre Villas-Boas is impressed with the way his old club are operating nowadays under the ownership of Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital - and he has also praised Enzo Maresca for the job he is doing.
Boehly and Clearlake bought the club in May 2022 from Roman Abramovich and have taken a fairly unique approach in the transfer market; signing young and inexperienced players. It was not until earlier this year that Chelsea won their first trophy under the new regime, with Maresca leading the Blues to success in the Conference League and Club World Cup.
Villas-Boas, who managed Chelsea for less than a year between 2011 and 2012, has been talking about his former club and has shared his verdict on the multi-club model, with BlueCo also owning French club Strasbourg. BlueCo have used the Ligue 1 outfit as a way to develop multiple young Chelsea players, including Andrey Santos last season and the likes of Mike Penders, Mamadou Sarr and Kendry Paez this term.
On top of that, the Blues have signed Emanuel Emegha from Strasbourg, with the 22-year-old Dutch striker flourishing in France over the past two and a bit seasons. E megha will sign for the Blues in the summer of 2026 as he continues his development at Stade de la Meinau for the remainder of the season.
"Chelsea have radicalised the way to approach the transfer market," Villas-Boas said to GiveMeSport. "It's a totally different vision - getting the best out of young kids, investing via BlueCo in a multi-club ownership and getting the most out of that as well, with players coming in from Strasbourg like Andrey Santos.
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"So [they have] a lot of quality, a lot of talent, probably Emegha in the future. So it's a new way to approach the transfer window, a new way to work out the transfer market and long-term contracts with the pros and cons that that brings. But they were successful. They won the Club World Cup and the Conference League.
"Maresca is a great coach and man with a vision process ideas, so they look to be on the right path."
Emegha will add to Chelsea's attacking options next summer, with Nicolas Jackson set to leave Stamford Bridge on a permanent basis. Liam Delap and Joao Pedro were signed in the summer, with the Blues hoping to have two out-and-out No.9s and a versatile forward to choose from.
That was the plan this season, but Jackson wanting to leave changed the club's plans in that regard. Chelsea were more than happy to keep Jackson to provide squad depth in what will be a busy campaign at Stamford Bridge, but the Senegal international wanted a new challenge and when Bayern Munich came calling, the striker was eager to move there.
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