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28 March 2024

Ruthless Roman warns Chelsea stars

A woman carrying an umbrella passes pictures of players at Chelsea football club in London on Sunday. (REUTERS)

Published
By Staff

Ruthless Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich has warned his disgruntled star they could be next on the firing line unless they get their act together.

The Russian owner who lost patience with Andre Villas-Boas told the squad in no uncertain terms that he would wield the axe on players just as he has done on the manager.

In an astonishing training-ground showdown, the club owner told his players that anyone who disagreed with the decision to let Villas-Boas go could follow him out of the door, according to the Express.

It is the first time Abramovich has not only lost patience with his manager, but also pointed the finger of blame at the players.

Chelsea’s stars had no clue Villas-Boas was to sacked when he took training on Sunday morning after Saturday’s 1-0 defeat at West Bromwich.

That result was the final nail in the coffin for the Portuguese manager after only one win in seven and just 256 days in charge.

The players were greeted by an angry Abramovich when they returned to the dressing room at the Cobham grounds and he delivered his ultimatum through an interpreter.

The shocked players sat speechless as Abramovich, alongside director Eugene Tenenbaum, made it clear he blames them as much as Villas-Boas.

Abramovich is clearly embarrassed not only by results, but also by the constant in-fighting.

Frank Lampard, Ashley Cole and Michael Essien all clashed with Villas-Boas over team selection and tactics.

The dressing room had split into three groups under Villas-Boas – those against, those for and those caught in the middle.

Abramovich will now begin moves to bring in Barcelona’s coach Pep Guardiola in the summer to replace Villas-Boas while former Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho who was spotted house hunting in London last week also remains very much in the radar.

However, the Russian billionaire told his under-performing squad that unless they pull up their socks between now and the end of the season, more heads could roll this summer.