Ex-Chelsea goalkeepers Edouard Mendy and Marcus Bettinelli have both taken aim at their former club by claiming they opted to leave in order to win trophies.
The Blues picked up their first piece of major silverware of the Clearlake Capital era in May – the Europa Conference League – and they qualified for the Champions League for the first time since 2022 thanks to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League table.
This initially came at the expense of success as Chelsea finished 12th in 2022-23 and sixth in 2023-24.
Despite an improvement under Enzo Maresca last season, the Blues have still spent over €1.3 billion on transfers since 2022 and their squad doesn’t boast the quality you would expect given that remarkable investment.
Mendy and Bettinelli have now seemingly taken aim at Chelsea’s ownership group.
What has been said?
During an interview with BBC Sport, Mendy revealed that a lucrative contract proposal wasn’t the reason he decided to leave Chelsea and join Saudi Pro League side Al-Ahli.
“Al-Ahli’s project came along and they made me feel I had a big role to play,” he said.
“Two years later, we won the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history. So yes, that validates my choice. And I hope the coming years will validate it even more.”
Mendy added: “Some people will quickly jump to conclusions and say the only reason is money. From the start, I always said that when I left Chelsea, I knew I was joining another team where I could win everything – which was no longer the case at Chelsea.”
Meanwhile, Bettinelli admitted that Man City’s winning mentality is why he accepted an offer from the club this summer.
He told The Athletic: “I think obviously when you get a phone call from Man City and you’ve got a chance to work with winners and Pep (Guardiola), who’s won everything in his career, to learn from him, to see how he works, to see this mentality that the lads have in his team, it was near impossible for me to say no.
“I’ve always been a London boy… so leaving for myself and my family was obviously always a big decision but when Man City phone, these ideas kind of go out the window. You only really have one choice and that is to go because it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.”
Chelsea may have won their first trophy in three years during the 2024-25 campaign, but Mendy and Bettinelli both seemingly believe the club lacks the winning culture of its glory days.
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