Joe Cole fears that the rift in the Chelsea ownership will filter down to the squad and cause serious problems for Enzo Maresca and his efforts to improve their fortunes on the field.
The reputed rift between Todd Boehly and co-owners Clearlake doesn t have a clear path to resolution and Cole feels that it could cause factions to develop at Stamford Bridge.
Cole insists that it is just a matter of time before that starts to happen and makes Maresca s life difficult.
Clearlake, who were co-founded by Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano, are reportedly keen on acquiring a larger stake in the club.
Cole is concerned that the rift at the top will lead to players becoming unsettled and wanting to leave Chelsea.
“I think that clearly at the club, it s disjointed,” Cole told TNT Sports. “There are different factions going on, and that will filter down. It s just the case of how much.
“The job of Enzo Maresca has just got harder, because all of them players, the 40 odd players within that club who are probably wondering, is my future at Chelsea? Is it away?
“There ll be a huge amount of uncertainty, and that just ramps that up with the fans, with the players.”
Boehly was eager to retain previous manager Mauricio Pochettino after Chelsea placed sixth last season, but was vetoed by Eghbali and the club s sporting directors.
“You need your ownership group to be one force, whatever that force may be, and often fans don t agree with the vision and where they re going, but at least you know we re going in that direction,” said Cole.
“With Chelsea, we don t know which direction we re going in, so that needs to be ironed out and sorted as soon as possible to give Enzo the best chance to get the results on the pitch.”
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Cole believes that the rumours of a rift between owners leaking to the media had the hallmarks of an inside job.
He worries that this kind of backbiting will be hard to come back from for Chelsea.
