Chelsea FC have tonight announced a new ownership transition after a deal was agreed between majority owner Clearlake Capital and minority owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter.
Clearlake, ran by Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano, will buy out the ownership interest from Boehly and Walter, and therefore now gain full control of Chelsea FC.
Swiss Billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, who also holds a minority investment, will stay as part of the ownership.
A club statement said: "Chelsea Football Club today announced affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (“Clearlake”) will acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly. Hansjörg Wyss will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group. As part of the transition, Clearlake will also acquire Mark Walter’s ownership interest and therefore acquire full control of the Club"
"In 2022, Todd Boehly and Clearlake joined together to lead the historic acquisition of Chelsea – successfully navigating an unprecedented period of uncertainty imposed by outside political events – and Todd organised his chairmanship with an unwavering commitment to this ownership group’s fundamental belief that the supporters are at the heart of everything the Club does"
"The owners have worked together with the shared objective of building a sustainable foundation for long-term sporting success. Under their joint ownership, substantial investment has been made across the men's and women's senior and youth squads, Chelsea’s training facilities at Cobham, medical and player-support resources, Academy development and pathways, and the sporting and business leadership of the Club"
"Todd Boehly now leaves his role as Chairman with Chelsea well positioned for the next phase of development. The progress made over the past four years reflects the shared commitment of Clearlake, Boehly and the wider ownership group and the leadership, staff, coaches and players at Chelsea. Clearlake intends to continue building on the strategic course the Club is now on and realising the ambition that the ownership group has developed together"
Todd Boehly said: 'It has been an honour to serve as Chairman of Chelsea Football Club. I would like to thank the many who helped secure a bright future for the Club, including the English Premier League, the coaches and players, the talented leadership and staff at Chelsea, and the legions of dedicated fans. I have valued my partnership with Clearlake and the wider ownership group, and the collective decisions and investment we have made to support the immediate and long-term success of the Club. I am confident that Chelsea is well positioned for continued success under Clearlake’s leadership.'
Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, co-founders of Clearlake Capital, said, 'Todd has been an important partner throughout our ownership of Chelsea, and we thank him for his time and contribution as Chairman. He will always be a part of the Chelsea story and family. Clearlake has served as Chelsea’s majority owner since 2022, and as we move to full control our focus is to continue investing in the Club’s infrastructure, sporting performance, player development and delivering long-term success for Chelsea and the Club’s supporters.'
Chelsea have also confirmed that there will be no changes to the day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy at the Club.
There will be hope that with the ownership situation now clarified, there will be potential for progress on the stadium situation, as well as other unannounced projects.
