Todd Boehly grabbed the headlines following Chelsea's embarrassing home defeat to Brighton after heading down to the dressing room unplanned and giving the players a speech following Frank Lampard's final words.
And the American billionaire was not alone. He was joined by fellow board members Behdad Eghbali and Hansjörg Wyss, telling the squad that this season has been "embarrassing" and informing the players that they have failed to meet expectations so far.
However, while it was initially thought that Boehly addressed the team as a whole, a recent report from the Guardian reveals that one player in the Stamford Bridge dressing room was singled out by the higher-ups for specific criticism.
While the identity of that player wasn't revealed, several hints have been revealed. First of all, he was signed over the past 12 months for a large fee, making him a Todd Boehly man, and is a senior figure.
Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Wesley Fofana, Marc Cucurella, Raheem Sterling, Benoit Badiashile, and Kalidou Koulibaly all fall into this category. However, of the seven, only Cucurella, Sterling, and Koulibaly are 24 or older.
The phrase "senior player" can be interpreted in many ways. For example, Enzo Fernandez, despite being one of the youngest signings, has been a key figure in the lineup since arriving from Benfica, making it hard to determine who the chastised footballer was.
The player is said to be unhappy about this incident and "cut a disgruntled figure in training" ahead of Chelsea's UEFA Champions League second-leg quarterfinal showdown with Real Madrid on Tuesday.
Regardless, this will only spark further criticism of an already under-fire owner. Boehly's decision to head down to the dressing room to give a speech without Lampard's knowledge has been blasted, with one insider describing their actions as "weird".
Nonetheless, Lampard and Kepa defended the American owner publicly, stating that there is no problem with the board members entering the dressing room when they please. Whether Boehly's speech was enough to spark a comeback against Real Madrid, however, is a totally separate thing.
The London giants lost 2-0 in the previous encounter, with goals from Karim Benzema and Marco Asensio giving Lampard's men an uphill battle to overcome. Additionally, Ben Chilwell was sent off at the Bernabeu and is thus unavailable for this tie.
The 2-1 weekend defeat to Brighton was the club's third defeat in a row, leaving the Blues without a win in their last six outings. Chelsea must end this horrific run when Los Blancos pay them a visit in the English capital.
