Chelsea fans heartbroken after hearing Didier Drogba's pre-match comments about the club

Former Chelsea forward Didier Drogba says he "no longer recognises" the club he used to play for in a damning assessment of their current situation.

Blues owner Todd Boehly spent over £500 million in the summer and January transfer windows but a host of new signings – and three new managers – have failed to spark a resurgence across the board.

Frank Lampard's side, who currently sit 11th in the Premier League ladder after picking up 10 wins from a possible 31, are also on the cusp of being knocked out of this season's Champions League.

After falling to a 2-0 defeat against Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final, they played well in spells against Los Blancos but the Spanish outfit proved too strong.

To rub salt into the wounds, former Ivory Coast forward Didier Drogba delivered a powerful speech on the state of Chelsea while on punditry duty for French TV channel Canal+.

He said: “I knew this club with a certain class during the Abramovich era, but today I find it lacking," he told Canal+. "It’s very hard for me to see how they got rid of certain people.

“They should go back to the principles and values they had. I no longer recognise my club."

Drogba's comments ahead of the Champions League clash sparked a huge reaction on social media from Chelsea supporters.

One fan said: "Drogba just said he no longer recognises his club. That hit hard man I’ll be honest," while another wrote: "They took the soul out of my club. I felt those words, Drogba."

A third commented: "Says it all when our legend Didier Drogba says he doesn’t recognise our club anymore. These are sad times."

A fourth added: "Both Tuchel and Drogba have said the same thing. Things must be going backwards behind the scenes."

Drogba saying he doesn’t recognise his club anymore…. pic.twitter.com/oRvJrhgLbv

— Dubois (@CFCDUBois) April 18, 2023

Thomas Tuchel recently said his sacking by Chelsea in September "still hurts" after the German spoke to club officials in a final meeting that lasted just minutes.

"It was a shock. I felt it, strangely, when I drove to the training centre," he said. "The meeting we had felt unusual - it turned out to be very short. It lasted three to five minutes."

Tuchel added: "It still hurts in a way. I'm not able to see these people on a daily basis. I love this job. I have a passion for it.

"We built an extraordinary bond in the circumstances. We started there during Covid, during Brexit - then came the change of ownership.

"We were a strong, strong group and it wasn't in my hands to take this decision. I was no longer part of this group, a group that felt like a family."

Thoughts on Drogba's comments about Chelsea in the build-up to Tuesday's game against Real Madrid? Let us know.