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Former Manchester United defender Paul McGrath has ripped into Chelsea owner Todd Boehly for allegedly telling former Blues manager Thomas Tuchel to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.
In a surprising turn of events, Chelsea announced last week that they have parted ways with Tuchel. The Premier League giants have since brought in Graham Potter from Brighton & Hove Albion.
Many reasons have been cited for the Blues' decision to sack the German, who led them to UEFA Champions League glory last year. The club's pursuit of Manchester United superstar Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly led to a rift between Tuchel and Boehly.
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McGrath has now weighed in on claims that Boehly pulled the plug on Tuchel after the 49-year-old refused to sign Ronaldo. He started by explaining why the Chelsea owner was interested in signing the forward. The former Manchester United defender wrote in his Sunday World column:
"The word is that Chelsea’s co-owner Todd Boehly dreamed of having Cristiano Ronaldo for a season or two, as soon as the player made it clear last month that he would not mind leaving Manchester United."
"Boehly could see the shirt sales, he could see the value of the million followers on Twitter and Instagram. And he could see the most important currency in all of football, the many goals that Ronaldo would score in a blue shirt."
McGrath went on to point out that Tuchel felt Ronaldo would destroy the spirit in his dressing room. The Irishman acknowledged the 37-year-old as one of the best players in football, but seemingly justified the German's decision not to sign him. He added:
"Thomas Tuchel could see other things, he could see the baggage that now comes with a 37-year-old who is one of the greatest players there has ever been."
"A truly great player, yes, but one who is not into tracking back to help his team-mates. And so Chelsea were one of a number of clubs who told Cristiano Ronaldo’s agent this summer that they would not welcome him."
The 62-year-old then launched a scathing attack on Boehly, criticizing the way he has functioned as the Blues' co-owner. Infuriated by the supremo for telling his manager to sign a player, he claimed that the American businessman does not understand professional football. McGrath wrote:
"Boehly was believed to be furious. Yet another American investor who only saw the Premier League’s dollar signs when Chelsea became available earlier this year."
"It is clear the billionaire did not fully understand professional football, otherwise he would have known that an owner telling a manager to buy a player isn’t part of our game."
"It might happen in NFL, in US basketball, in Major League Baseball, it doesn’t happen in soccer in Britain."
Was Chelsea interested in signing Manchester United's Cristiano Ronaldo?
Cristiano Ronaldo reportedly asked Manchester United to allow him to leave if they receive a suitable offer in the summer. Super agent Jorge Mendes tried to find his client a new club by offering his services to top clubs across Europe.
The Blues were among the teams offered the chance to acquire the five-time Ballon d'Or winner's services. However, they decided against a move for the forward at Thomas Tuchel's discretion.
