Chelsea news: 'We know what the problem is' — Fromer Blues defender tears into Todd Boehly

Chelsea are having a season far below expectations, and former Blue William Gallas has not held back in his assessment of why.

The club have endured managerial upheaval, accumulated poor results and find themselves in an unexpected ninth place in the Premier League, facing the real prospect of missing out on European football entirely in 2026-27.

Gallas, who also represented Olympique de Marseille, Arsenal and Tottenham during his career, was unsparing in his diagnosis when speaking to Get French Football News.

"We know what Chelsea's problem is, the owner needs to manage the club better," he said. "The fans are not happy with what is happening at Chelsea. We knew for a few years already that the owner was not managing the club correctly. Now they have been through several managers. They spend money but have nothing to show for it. Yes, they won the Club World Cup, but that is not enough."

Gallas also takes aim at Marseille and Tottenham

The former France international drew parallels with other clubs he represented, suggesting neither Marseille nor Tottenham have addressed their underlying problems either.

"Olympique de Marseille is having a problem at the moment because it looks like they will not qualify for the Champions League, which is a big blow for the city," he said. "They need a good result against Rennes. The problem is the communication between the players and the manager. It is not like it was 20 years ago, managers need to find a different approach when talking to a young squad."

On Tottenham, Gallas was equally direct. "With Tottenham, they were already in the same situation they are in now. They won the Europa League last season, everyone was happy — the fans, the club — but they did not solve the real problem. That is why they are fighting against relegation. It will not be easy for them to stay in the top flight. I watched their game against Leeds and you can see it will be difficult for Tottenham, and they have a London derby against Chelsea soon."

FA Cup final offers Chelsea a lifeline

The Blues have gone seven consecutive Premier League games without a win, though they retain a mathematical chance of reaching European football. Sitting ninth on 49 points, they are four points behind Brighton, who currently occupy the final Conference League spot.

Europa League qualification is an even taller order, Chelsea trail Bournemouth by six points and would need to win both remaining games against Tottenham and Sunderland, while relying on other results going their way. Champions League qualification is no longer possible, with Aston Villa ten points clear in fifth.

Despite the turbulence, Chelsea can still end the campaign with silverware. On Saturday, the Blues face Manchester City in the FA Cup final at Wembley.