Ex-Chelsea player slams club's medical staff and hails Jose Mourinho approach to injuries

William Gallas believes that Chelsea's current injury crisis stems from the club's medical staff simply not being good enough and the situation would never have been tolerated under Jose Mourinho.

Todd Boehly has spent over £1billion on new signings since he took control of the club in May 2022, but the only thing his new recruits have in common is that most of them have spent a stretch in the Stamford Bridge treatment room. Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino is without nine senior first team players, which has left the West London club toiling in ninth position in the Premier League.

A number of the players absent from first term duty are suffering with long-term problems or have broken down during their rehabilitation. Chelsea changed over 60 per cent of their medical team in the summer, according to journalist Simon Phillips, which has led ex-defender Gallas to question whether Chelsea's current crop of medical experts are up to the task.

Speaking to Gambling Zone, he said: «I think the injuries to [Christopher] Nkunku and [Romeo] Lavia are a case of bad luck. It can also be about the medical staff at the club and if they are good enough. When you are working for a club like Chelsea, the medical staff has to be at the very top.

»When Mourinho arrived at Chelsea, he changed the medical staff after six months because it was so important for him to have medical staff at the same level of the players. It was so important for a player to be back as soon as possible after an injury, and without any problems when they return.

«At the moment at Chelsea, we see players like Reece James who keeps getting injured again — the same with [Wesley] Fofana. I don't think Chelsea's medical staff are good enough.»

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