'Haven't got a clue!' - Gary Neville rips into Chelsea owners over Liam Rosenior sacking & ridicules 'laughable' long contracts policy

The 51-year-old pundit has pulled no punches in his assessment of the BlueCo era at Chelsea, labelling the owners "clueless" after they decided to sack Rosenior. Since the takeover in 2022, the club has seen a revolving door of managers and a massive turnover in the playing squad, yet results on the pitch continue to fluctuate wildly.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Neville made it clear that the blame for the club's instability lies at the very top. However, he admitted he wasn't so much surprised by Rosenior's dismissal as by the timing.

"I'm not shocked Liam's leaving the club," he stated. "I'm shocked he's leaving today. I thought it would probably happen at the end of the season. I thought they would persevere until the end of the season after giving him a six-year deal. It's not a reflection on Liam at all. He's lost a lot of football matches in the last few weeks and he'll be disappointed with that.

"But it's time for the owners, sporting directors and players to reflect enormously on their role in what's happened in the last few weeks. Their fans will be absolutely disgusted by the way this has gone. The owners have got it badly wrong. I said at the time, they've got a group of talented players, young sporting directors in respect of the experience relating to Europe, you've got an ownership that's young in respect that it's only two or three years in. You need some experience somewhere in the club."

A major point of contention for Neville is Chelsea's strategy of handing out incredibly long contracts to both players and staff. Under the current leadership, the Blues have frequently secured talent on six, seven, and eight-year deals in an attempt to spread out costs for financial purposes, but the pundit believes the plan has backfired.

"These six-year, eight-year agreements, it's almost laughable from the start," he added. "Whether it's for a manager or a player. The owners don't have a clue what they're doing. I've made massive mistakes as an owner but sometimes you've got to accept that. I've spoken publicly about the challenges we've had.

"But they're all over the place. I just don't get it, really. You deserve what you get in football and it's a reflection on them, it's not a reflection on a coach who, to be fair, probably shouldn't have been advanced as soon as he was into the role."

Chelsea face a tough task as they search for their fifth permanent manager in four years, with the team currently languishing outside the European competition places. Management must act quickly to stabilise the squad before a challenging run of fixtures, including clashes with Liverpool and Nottingham Forest.

With the summer transfer window approaching, the club's recruitment strategy will once again be under intense scrutiny. Supporters are growing increasingly restless at Stamford Bridge, and the next appointment will be a defining moment for the owners as they attempt to prove that their long-term project can finally deliver results on the pitch.