Ex-Strasbourg coach blasts Todd Boehly and Chelsea's BlueCo owners for 'not understanding...

Vieira blasts Chelsea owners – 'they don't understand how football works' Former coach Patrick Vieira has claimed that ’s BlueCo owners ‘struggle to understand’ how football works and believes they do not value the importance of a manager at a club. Vieira was appointed as Strasbourg coach soon after BlueCo’s takeover of the Ligue 1 side in 2023 but the former Arsenal star oversaw a difficult campaign and left by mutual consent just one year later. The Frenchman claimed that he found it ‘difficult’ to deal with owners who were based in London where they were primarily focused on Chelsea rather than being attentive to Strasbourg’s needs. “With Strasbourg, I think it's a case of new owners coming into football who perhaps struggle to understand how things work, and especially the importance that a manager needs to have within an organisation,” Vieira told RMC’s After Foot show. “From that point on, it became a difficult journey from a relational standpoint. I found it difficult – it is difficult – to manage a team where the decisions have to be made from London, quite simply. “I thought it was a shame because Strasbourg is truly a very good club with really great fans, but they are having a bit of a hard time understanding how the club is currently being run, and I share that lack of understanding with them too.” BlueCo ‘created situations’ to force Strasbourg exit, Vieira claims Strasbourg finished 13th during Vieira’s sole season in charge despite spending more than €50 million on players in BlueCo’s first summer as owners, with young signings targeted for their profiles rather than their fit in the first team. Tensions ran high all season as fans expressed hostility to the American owners and their business plan of developing young players for Chelsea, which eventually led to Vieira departing in July 2024. However, despite being replaced by Liam Rosenior – who went on to have a brief stint as Chelsea boss – Vieira insisted the decision was mutual after he felt he wasn’t being taken into consideration with the club’s plans. "Sincerely, it was by mutual consent,” Viera said when asked about the decision. “I mean, we met up, we talked, and they explained a bit about what they wanted to do in the future. And, well, I didn't feel like I was being taken into consideration in that project. From that point on, it was better to shake hands and go our separate ways. “It was a discussion that was quite quick, quite short. But then again, when people want to part ways with a manager, they create situations so that he doesn't feel comfortable either, you know?"