The appointment of Lampard on the advice of James Corden would be in keeping with Pain's Chelsea soap opera.

Todd Pain's short reign at Stamford Bridge was marked by a series of blunders. Photo: Reuters/Peter Cziborra

Todd Pain's verdicts on record are as meaningful as they are unforgettable. Approached on the street by fans outside Stamford Bridge last month, he said of Chelsea's 2-2 draw with Everton: «Fucking game.» When intercepted outside a Madrid restaurant before heading to the Bernabéu, he nonchalantly predicted: «Chelsea will win 3-0.» The announcement of a meeting with 14-time European champions can be safely called antagonistic. In a familiar pattern, these words exploded in his face a few hours after a chilly 2-0 defeat.

But Boly, with all the conviction of Ted Lasso pointing at the «Believe» sign, is pleading with fans to «believe more.» This is despite Chelsea spending £250,000 a week on the mid-season loan of Joao Felix, who has scored two goals and not assisted in his 13 appearances so far. This is despite the owner and his Clearlake consortium promising a period of stability only to fire Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter within seven months. This is despite Boeli spending £600m building a team with no discernible style, cohesion or attacking threat.

There is a growing sense that he lacks a natural grasp of the complexities of English football. As if that warning sign wasn't enough, he advocated the introduction of the North-South All-Star Game — «would he like to invite the Harlem Globetrotters too?» Jurgen Klopp laughed. Boeli now suggests that Chelsea could score three more goals than Real Madrid, four days after they failed to score a single Wolves. />Frank Lampard would shudder to see Todd Boli dismiss the Real Madrid pedigree so casually. Photo: Getty Images/Angel Martinez

Looking back at Boeli's original promises, you'll be surprised at how far and how quickly they all fell apart. He set Champions League qualification as the bare minimum and the club are now in 11th place, having lost more games this season than they won. And where did the promise to forge a team with an insatiable desire for victory go? Chelsea look more confused and out of control than ever as they have failed to score in four games in a row for the first time since 1993.

Frank Lampard is just a handy guy to fall for. As can be seen from his post-match hug with Carlo Ancelotti, he has a lot of respect for Real Madrid and would shudder to see Boeli brush off their pedigree so casually. Not that he could admit it publicly.

Marco Asensio scores 2-0!! 🙌

Chelsea were caught off guard as the European champions doubled their lead! 🔥#UCL pic.twitter.com/RARqLDxocX

— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) April 12, 2023

Responding to a suggestion this week that he was re-appointed as Chelsea manager on the advice of broadcaster James Corden, he said: «When I look at Todd's success Pains and the Chelsea owners, I think you have to respect this success and the idea that they will make decisions based on more than talking to one person.

If only Chelsea fans could share his confidence. Frankly, the idea of ​​Boeli consulting with a talk show host seems completely intrusive, given that this entire chapter has turned into a soap opera. Boli has gambled on his reputation as an investor because he is the smartest person in the room, even when every move he makes at Chelsea suggests he is anything but.

He signed Mihail Mudrik and Enzo Fernandez to eight-year deals at prices so out of line with the market that Chelsea spent more in the latest transfer window than all the leagues in Spain, France, Germany and Italy combined. And, rejecting the idea that Potter was the face of the future, he returned to Lampard, the figure that Roman Abramovich failed the first time around and whose highest goal as manager was to save Everton from relegation.

Boyley is not without instinct when it comes to sports. He was a seasoned wrestler in his youth, but as a businessman, he turned the Los Angeles Dodgers into a multi-billion dollar behemoth and the first World Series triumph in 32 years. But in football, he shows himself far from stable.

He roams Europe with handfuls of dollars, but very little use for the diplomatic protocols required by owning the Premier League. Hence his bullish predictions that Chelsea could beat Real Madrid 3-0. It suggested that someone was floundering, not at ease, not yet realizing that his latest project was too complicated to be solved with money alone.