Chelsea owner Todd Boehly singled out Raheem Sterling in dressing room rallying cry after ’embarrassing’ Blues defeat last season

Chelsea owner Todd Boehly reportedly singled out Raheem Sterling for a dressing room dressing down after the Blues’ 2-1 defeat at home to Brighton last April.

The Seagulls came from behind to win at Stamford Bridge towards the end of a miserable campaign for Chelsea that saw them finish 12th in the league, and Boehly headed to see the players after the final whistle.

According to The Telegraph, Boehly gave Sterling a personal pep talk first rather than speaking to the whole squad.

The American reminded Sterling that he is a world-class player – having won four league titles at Manchester City – but demanded more from him in terms of performance and leadership.

Sterling was closest to the dressing room door, which may explain why he was spoken to first, but it also could have been interpreted as a major statement from Boehly as the England winger was his first major signing in July 2022.

The rant at Sterling came after Chelsea’s 2-1 loss at home to Brighton last April

Sterling started this season well after Boehly’s dressing down, but was jeered by his own fans recently

Sterling is understood to have taken the criticism well, with Boehly then turning his attention to the rest of the group.

Speaking to the squad, Boehly lashed out in the dressing room rant, calling their performances across the course of the campaign ’embarrassing’.

It was not the first time he had addressed the players after a game as this was a regular occurrence during his first season at the helm.

Interim boss Frank Lampard claimed at the time that he had no problem with Boehly taking centre stage in the dressing room, insisting it just showed his passion for the club. 

Boehly’s emotional speech was intended to be a rallying cry, but Chelsea were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid just three days later, and they won just one of their final seven league games after the Brighton loss.

Sterling scored twice the following month in a 2-2 draw with Nottingham Forest, and started this season strongly as he looked to earn an England recall.

However, his performances have dipped in recent weeks and he was jeered off by his own fans when he was substituted during a 4-2 home loss against Wolves earlier this month.

The 29-year-old has not started for the Blues since, and has been restricted to cameo appearances of the bench in Chelsea’s last two games against Aston Villa and Crystal Palace.