Petr Cech reveals the first thing he’d do if he took over as Chelsea owner

The feeling of owning Chelsea Football Club is one that many envy and believe they could handle better if given the chance.

Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have often been criticised for their handling of the club, and tensions hit a new high for some fans during Saturday’s game against Brentford at Stamford Bridge.

Before the 2-0 win in the London derby, there were protests from Blues supporters. Chants backing Enzo Maresca were heard, even though Liam Rosenior is still very early into his time in charge.

One of the more controversial decisions made early in their tenure was to part ways with several key staff members. One of those was Petr Cech, who had been serving as Technical and Performance Director.

Petr Cech shares how he would lead Chelsea as owner

Cech has said the choice to leave was his, but he’s now been asked how he’d approach spending the money Boehly and his partners have put into Chelsea since taking over.

“First, I would sit six months and watch because I would love to know what is now set up, how things work. I think it’s a simple thing.”

“Because you know, I give you a question. If I give you a soup and you had the pepper and salt, what do you do? You bring the soup, take the pepper and salt, put it in, mix it, and then you eat it? Or first you eat it and then you realise it’s missing a bit of salt then you put in the salt.

“You can choose; you can actually say: Okay, I don’t care what’s there and I do it my way and then you can actually ruin it.

“Or sit down. Okay. Sit down. Watch what’s working. What’s not working? Make my point fix what needs to be fixed. And keep what is working.”

Chelsea must heed Cech’s warning

Chelsea today are a very different club from the version seen in 2023/24. It is hard to imagine the Blues committing to fees on the scale of Enzo Fernández or Moisés Caicedo again. What feels unavoidable, however, is the need for a clear-eyed assessment of where the current project is falling short and how it must evolve.

Recent struggles in demanding environments, such as trips to Leeds and Atalanta, have underlined a recurring issue: a lack of experience. Those performances have strengthened the argument that Chelsea need proven leaders alongside their young core if they are to compete consistently at the highest level.

Yet the club’s January approach suggests little appetite for a shift in strategy. Links to targets like Jeremy Jacquet indicate Chelsea remain committed to their existing recruitment model, even as sections of the fanbase call for a change of direction.