"It comes culturally from the top" – Gary Neville rips into Chelsea for 'ruining players' like Manchester United
Gary Neville has lambasted Chelsea for stagnating a number of players' careers in the same manner as his former team Manchester United.
The Blues have proved to be one of the top topics of discussion over the last three transfer windows. They have splashed over £1 billion on a plethora of new players, but have struggled to impress in the process.
Chelsea, who spent close to £400 million on 12 new faces earlier this summer, are 14th in the 2023-24 Premier League table with just five points from six games. The Blues have failed to make the most of the players at their disposal under Mauricio Pochettino's helm.
During a recent discussion on The Overlap, Neville shared his thoughts on the west London outfit's continuing struggles. He compared Pochettino's side to Manchester United due to their similar trends, saying:
"I think it's cultural. If you see what's happening at Manchester United and Chelsea, there are so many similarities – they are ruining players that have been signed as good players. It's been happening at Chelsea over the past 12 to 18 months – it comes culturally from the top."
Liverpool legend Jamie Carragher also pitched in and commented:
"You need top players, but you need a connection in the dressing room, a connection with the manager, a connection with crowd, and how can that ever happen there? I just don't see it. The manager changes every two minutes, players are coming in left, right and centre. There are probably two or three players for every position."
Of late, both the aforementioned clubs have been in the headlines due to sub-par outings of some of their players. The likes of Mykhailo Mudryk and Jadon Sancho have failed to live up to their expectations for their respective clubs following their big-money moves.
Manchester United to go all out for Chelsea target Lautaro Martinez in summer of 2024
According to Fichajes.net, Manchester United boss Erik ten Hag has told his club's hierarchy to prioritize Inter Milan superstar Lautaro Martinez's signature. He is said to be keen to sign the Argentine next summer.
However, the Red Devils are believed to face competition from Chelsea in the near future. Both the clubs are aiming to rope in a number nine despite signing Rasmus Hojlund and Nicolas Jackson, respectively, earlier this year.
Martinez, 26, has cemented himself as one of the top clinical finishers in the world over the last couple of seasons. He has registered 59 goals and 17 assists in 112 club matches since the start of the 2021-22 term.