Former Chelsea and Nigeria midfielder Mikel Obi has criticized Chelsea's player recruitment policy. These comments follow Chelsea's 2-0 defeat to reigning league champions Manchester City at Stamford Bridge in their first game of the new Premier League season. Post-Abramovich struggles continue to haunt Chelsea, even with the introduction of a new coach, Enzo Maresca, who had an impressive season with Leicester City in the Championship last season. Since Abramovich's departure, Chelsea has faced a challenging transition, finishing 12th in the 2022/23 season and 6th in 2023/24, marking the club's worst performances since the 2015/16 season when they placed 10th in the league. The ex-Nigerian international asserted that the new board's recruitment strategy is not at the same level as during his time with the Blues. "At the time, I think it was Marina.