Forgotten former Chelsea manager banished two Premier League-winning heroes to train on their own ‘to make a statement’

A FORGOTTEN former Chelsea manager banished two Premier League winners to train on their own “to make a statement”.

The Blues have won five league titles in the past 20 years.

GettyNicholas Anelka was one of the two top stars exiled by a new Chelsea manager[/caption]

PA:Empics SportDefender Alex was also pushed out in an unpopular move[/caption]

That included pipping Manchester United by just one point under Carlo Ancelotti in the 2009-10 campaign.

However, just a year later, a new manager came in ahead of the 2011-12 season.

And he ditched two of the title-winning team in a shock and unpopular move.

Former Chelsea defender Carl Magnay – who won a contract with the Blues after winning Sky TV show Football Icon in 2007 – revealed Andre Villas-Boas’ bizarre approach.

He told the Chronicle Live: “Andre Villas-Boas tried to change things quite drastically.

“The likes of Nicolas Anelka and Alex – he banished them and they had to train on their own.

“He was trying to make too much of a statement to senior world-class players and it didn’t go down very well.

“I was able to see different dynamics, different world-class coaches.

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“I knew that when I’d eventually step into coaching I’d revisit those approaches and gauge which is the best one to go with.”

Villas-Boas arrived at Stamford Bridge in 2011 aged just 33 – younger than some of the senior players in his squad.

However, rather than bide his time, he tried to make his mark immediately with the move to exile Anelka and Alex.

By December, both players had formally submitted transfer requests – with Villas-Boas open to the pair leaving.

And they duly did so in the January transfer window – just two months before Villas-Boas himself got the sack after less than a year in charge.

Centre-back Alex joined Paris Saint-Germain while Anelka headed to China, turning down PSG to sign for Shanghai Shenhua.

Magnay, 35, worked under Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luis Filipe Scolari, Guus Hiddink, Ancelotti and Villas-Boas during his four years at Chelsea.

However, he did not make a single first-team appearance for the club as injuries took their toll, including wrecking his knee during a reserve-team match against Charlton in 2010.

After loans to MK Dons and Northampton, he spent the rest of his career in League Two and non-league football, retiring in November 2023 after another ACL injury the previous month.

He has now stepped into coaching.

Villas-Boas, meanwhile, has stepped away from the training pitches and dugouts following spells at Tottenham, Tottenham, Zenit, Shanghai Port and Marseille to become the president of FC Porto.

AFP – GettyAndre Villas-Boas struggled to win over the senior players at Chelsea[/caption]