FOOTBALL: Chelsea axe long-serving head physio in brief zoom call after 17 years at Stamford Bridge

Chelsea axe long-serving head physio in brief zoom call after 17 years at Stamford Bridge. Chelsea’s new owners have continued their ruthless overhaul behind the scenes by sacking long-serving head physiotherapist Thierry Laurent, according to reports.

Laurent has been working with the west London club’s senior players since 2005 – 17 years ago – and was promoted to his head physio role in 2014.

He has worked closely with a host of different Chelsea managers, playing a key part behind the scenes in Champions League and Premier League title wins.

However, according to The Daily Mail, Laurent has been relieved of his duties during the international break and was informed during a ‘short zoom call’ on Tuesday.

The news came out of the blue, though follows in the wake of medical director Dr Paco Biosca also leaving Stamford Bridge after 11 years.

Chelsea axe long-serving head physio in brief zoom call after 17 years at Stamford Bridge. According to The Athletic, Laurent was ‘shocked’ by the decision and was informed during the zoom call that the new owners want to bring their own person in.

Todd Boehly and Chelsea’s new ownership have been keen to stamp their mark on the club they spent billions on, with a host of key figures from Roman Abramovich’s reign having been let go.

Chief among them, of course, was Thomas Tuchel – who was replaced by Graham Potter – while the likes of Marina Granovskaia, Bruce Buck and Petr Cech have all left in recent months.

Laurent’s exit will be just as keenly felt by the players, particularly those who have been at the club for some time, and Chelsea’s owners now intend to overhaul and reshape the medical department.

New appointments will be made in due course, with the American ownership having conducted a 100-day review to ascertain where improvements could be made.

They will struggle to find a physio with a better CV than Laurent, though, who came to Chelsea with an incredible pedigree working with France’s national team at the Clairefontaine football centre for 15 years.

He joined the Blues at the start of the most successful era in the club’s history, working with greats such as John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba as well as the current crop of players who most recently won the Club World Cup.

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