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.
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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."
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.
Topics: Real Madrid, Chelsea, Didier Drogba, Champions League
Jack Kenmare