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Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has been mocked for his comments regarding the club's youth academy after he mistakenly claimed they had produced Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah.
The Blues' new American owner boasted about the players that graduated from the youth team at the SALT press conference. He stated (as per The Mail):
"We have one of the best academies in the world. If you look at what our academy has developed, our academy is Mo Salah, Kevin De Bruyne. More recently, Tammy Abraham, Reece James, Mason Mount, Trevoh Chalobah."
"We have 10 or 11 players right now that are either on loan and controlled by us, we have the right to buy them back, or they're playing for our team or academy."
Boehly was correct about the four English players he mentioned who graduated from Cobham. However, fans were quick to point out his mistake regarding De Bruyne and Salah.
In fact, Chelsea bought De Bruyne from Genk in 2012 for £7 million before he was sold to Wolfsburg in January of 2015. Meanwhile, Salah had already made over 100 senior appearances for Al Mokawloon and FC Basel before making the switch to Stamford Bridge in 2013.
While Chelsea did decide to sell the pair, who would go on to become two of the world's best, at a young age, they certainly did not come through the youth academy. Following Boehly's claim, fans were quick to jump on the statement on Twitter, which they dismissed as nonsense.
Here are some of the reactions:
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp unimpressed by Chelsea owner's idea of all-star game
Boehly, who is part owner of MLB team LA Dodgers and two basketball teams in LA, also suggested the idea of an annual clash between the best players from England.
The encounter would see the best players from the north take on their counterparts in the south, an idea that has already been panned by critics.
Liverpool boss Klopp gave his take on the idea, which is common-place in the USA. On the Chelsea owner's proposal, the German told a press conference (as per BBC Sport):
"Does he want to bring the Harlem Globetrotters as well? When he finds a date for that he can call me. In American sports, these players have four-month breaks."
"Maybe he can explain that. I'm not sure people want to see that, [Manchester] United players, Liverpool players, Everton players all together. North east too, so Newcastle. It is not the national team. All the London guys together, Arsenal, Tottenham, great. Did he really say it?"
