‘One of the most compelling individuals’ – Simon Jordan defends under-fire Chelsea chief

Simon Jordan has hailed Chelsea director Behdad Eghbali’s vision of the club.

The talkSPORT co-host labelled the businessman ‘one of the most compelling, capable individuals’ he has met in football.

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Eghbali has been at Stamford Bridge since 2022 after forming part of Clearlake Capital’s BlueCo consortium which bought the club from Roman Abramovich.

Whilst Todd Boehly became chairman, Eghbali joined the Blues’ board of directors following the takeover.

Chelsea have since dismissed four different permanent managers in less than four years under BlueCo.

New head coach Liam Rosenior is the latest to be appointed after replacing Enzo Maresca on Tuesday.

His arrival follows the Italian’s exit on New Year’s Day despite winning the Conference League and Club World Cup last season.

Maresca’s relationship with Eghbali and others in the club’s hierarchy had become strained in the final months of his tenure.

Meanwhile, a fan survey carried out by the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust has revealed a lack of confidence in the owners.

Jordan hails Chelsea’s Eghbali

Despite that, Jordan has backed Eghbali and the rest of the ownership group amid growing fan dissatisfaction.

Discussing the club’s situation on White & Jordan, the former Crystal Palace chairman said: “I’ve met the ownership of Chelsea and I can tell you that they are, specifically Eghbali, one of the most compelling, capable individuals I’ve ever met in football.

“Whilst you may not see the vision yet, and it might not have arrived, and you might be harking back to a time when Roman Abramovich bought and sold football players.

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“That left you in a situation where you’re being sanctioned as a football club and ultimately being compromised because of some of his feelings, but he bought you success.

“He changed the direction of travel. He changed you from a football club that Ken Bates was running on a shoestring and was holding together economically to a football club that was a powerhouse.”

He added: “These guys are capable.”

When asked if Eghbali and Boehly are ‘good football operators’ as opposed to commercial operators, Jordan replied: “I think Eghbali is, based on what I’ve understood from him. I think he’s both. I think he knows precisely what he’s doing.

“People are going to say ‘oh, what?’ I’ve got no allegiance to Chelsea. I couldn’t give a monkeys about Chelsea. I couldn’t give a monkeys about Tottenham. The team I care about is Crystal Palace.

“I spend my entire time bringing situations to the circumstance and having a go at people. So when I’m praising somebody, it’s not because I’m getting a backhand or because I’ve got some affiliation or it’s because I speak the same language as them.

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“(It’s) because when I see someone that’s really, really good, and it’s very rare, because I see a world of blaggers and people that BS all the time and people that will have you believe they can do things and they can’t.

“I think Eghbali is one of the most capable individuals that I’ve ever come across, both commercially and in his vision for Chelsea and his understanding of what’s required of owning a massive football club.”

BlueCo have spent over £1.5billion on a total of 50 new signings in the three-and-a-half years since they purchased Chelsea.

In that time, their highest finish in the Premier League came under Maresca last term with the Blues ending the campaign in fourth.

Rosenior arrives with the club fifth in the table after 20 matches this season and will takeover following Wednesday’s trip to Fulham.

Meanwhile, Chelsea are 13th in the Champions League league phase standings, putting them on track to reach the knockout play-offs.