Petit: Chelsea Are a Broken Club With Half the Squad Already Thinking About the Exit

Speaking exclusively with BOYLE Sports , former Chelsea and Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit has delivered a damning verdict on the state of Stamford Bridge and warned that no managerial appointment will fix the deeper problems.

Petit has dismissed the prospects of both Xavi Hernandez and Jose Mourinho succeeding at Chelsea , questioned whether Alisson is the answer to the goalkeeper crisis, and given a frank assessment of the FA Cup final against Manchester City .

The former World Cup winner has also weighed in on Emmanuel Emegha , warned Andrew Omobamidele to think carefully before joining, assessed the Thiago Silva departure, and explained why Michael Carrick deserves far more credit than he is getting.

Chelsea

Are Chelsea a Broken Club?

Something is broken at Chelsea . Just look at the players all talking about how they want to play elsewhere; that would never have happened in the past. Enzo Maresca left the club by choice; how many other big clubs have we seen managers leave by choice? That tells you a lot about the club. A manager that won the Club World Cup and won the Conference League last season, with all the money spent, with all the bright young talent in the team, he decided it wasn't worth it.

It's a broken club, definitely. I wonder how they are going to finish the season because they've lost six games in a row in the Premier League . They don't have any spirit anymore. There is no soul in this club anymore, in this team. Most of the players are focused on the World Cup instead of focusing on the end of the season with Chelsea .

They're going to play this season in the FA Cup final against Manchester City , hoping that they're going to win a title and qualify for a European Cup next season. But don't be mistaken. When you look at this team, there is probably half of the starting eleven that wants to leave the club. Can you imagine that? You play for one of the top clubs in the world. You are Club World Cup champions. You have a huge contract with a lot of money to get, and you want to leave? That sums it up.

Xavi or Mourinho at Chelsea?

Xavi at Chelsea ? You can put whoever you want on the bench; if you don't give the power to the manager to do what he wants with his players, who's coming in, who's coming out, it won't end well. They have spent so much money on players, but where's the vision in it? So, if you ask top, top names to come on the bench, they will probably need the guarantee to have the freedom to do what they want, and they won't give it. I'm pretty sure about that.

If Jose Mourinho goes over there, he will have a fight with the board after a couple of weeks. I'm pretty sure about that. Enzo Maresca , he had a strong link with the dressing room, and they decided to let him go because he didn't want to stay at the club anymore. Mourinho is linked as well with Real Madrid . It's a big mess there as well. The last time Mourinho won something big was quite a long time ago, and Chelsea just isn't the same.

When he was at Chelsea with Didier Drogba , John Terry , Frank Lampard . He had such a great team, you know, with great players. Now, Chelsea they have good players but not great players. So, who wants to come into a mess like this? Not Mourinho .

FA Cup Final

How Vital Is the FA Cup Final For Chelsea?

I would say in a single game, a final, anything can happen. City won at Chelsea recently, and we saw only one team on the pitch. The question actually is, who cannot beat Chelsea ? It seems that every single team can beat Chelsea , actually. So I don't see why City , the way they play, the way they control the game, their players, the atmosphere, the environment, it's totally different to Chelsea .

So I don't see why the players will probably react for this final when they didn't do that for months now. We've been expecting them. So many times I've been frustrated about them because I was expecting a reaction, a proud reaction on the pitch altogether. Forget about what you think or what you feel. Just do what you've been paid for. And they failed. All of them they failed for weeks now. So, Chelsea need a miracle; I will tell you it won't happen because City are a better team in every way.

Did Chelsea Make a Mistake Letting Thiago Silva Go?

For Thiago Silva , I think his time was over with Chelsea . With all the respect I have for Porto , it's a huge club in Europe and Portugal . They don't face the same competition as Chelsea in the Premier League . And the way we play football in the Premier League is not quite the same as in Portugal . It's much quicker in the Premier League .

He went to Porto, and he won a trophy over there. It was the right time for him to leave Chelsea .

Transfer Talk

Would Alisson Be the Right Fix For Chelsea?

I think, actually, at Chelsea , there are so many troubles. I don't know what to do at Chelsea , to be honest with you, because when I look at the club, I'm worried. When I look at the communication, the environment, everything, I'm worried. So if you ask me if Alisson could be the solution for Chelsea , I don't think so.

There are so many troubles to solve at Chelsea . Even if you don't look at the whole squad, just look at the first eleven. So many troubles in the first eleven. The goalkeeper situation is one of them. But there are so many troubles to solve to make this club, to help them to come back where they belong. I don't think Alisson is the solution.

Should Emegha Join Chelsea?

If I were Emmanuel Emegha , I would say, listen, what role am I going to play at Chelsea ? You have so many players already. Are you going to bring new players again? Are you going to add more trouble? Emegha has been injured and just came back at the right moment for Strasbourg . I watched him in the last couple of games, and he has a really huge character. He likes to fight. He has quality as a striker; he's strong and powerful. He can score goals. He's a nightmare for central defenders, and I think he's enjoying his life.

He made some comments at the start of the season that the fans were very unhappy with. He was posing with a Chelsea shirt. He made some comments about Chelsea , and the Strasbourg fans didn't like it at all. But he's so important at Strasbourg . So, if Chelsea makes a phone call, I'm 100% sure that Emegha would be more than happy to come. He'd be on the Eurostar already! He would go straight away to Chelsea . But when he arrives, what do you do with the strikers over there?

I mean, this situation has been running for years now at Chelsea with the striker position. We buy strikers, not only one, but three or four strikers. And then we look at the manager and say, good luck, now you manage it. If I were Emegha , I would take a quick look as well. I would be more than happy to join Chelsea next summer, but in the meantime, I would ask myself, I will only have one chance. So you take it, or you leave it. Otherwise, you will put your name on the list with the same strikers who have been cursed at Chelsea .

I just want Chelsea to have a proper vision. Just because you see one player enjoying his life at another club, you ask him to come back. It's like Andrey Santos , who was playing for Strasbourg last season. I don't think he's enjoying his life at Chelsea now.

Should Omobamidele Think Twice About Chelsea?

Listen, if I were a player and I received a phone call from Chelsea , I would take my time to give an answer. I would want to see the vision, the manager, and what we are going to do, because the World Cup is coming, so the transfer market is going to be very difficult. If I'm just one more player in the squad, what is the purpose? Honestly, if I were a manager or a player, and Chelsea called me, I know it's not a question of money. It's a question of the environment. Am I going to improve? Am I going to enjoy my life there? Am I going to be happy on and off the pitch? This is a simple question that, for me, is vital for the players and the manager.

Andrew Omobamidele is doing very well with Strasbourg . He's been great so far this season as a central defender. When you look at the mess at central defence for Chelsea, you can see they might want him, but he should really consider staying where he is.

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