Avoid a ” civil war ” at Stamford Bridge. These are the words used by the British media The Telegraph on this Sunday, September 8, 2024. Criticized by many observers in recent months for their management, the new owners of the Blues are tearing each other apart. As a reminder, since the purchase of the London team from Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich in May 2022, Todd Boehly owns 38.5% of the club, split equally with billionaire investor Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter, an ally of Boehly from the Los Angeles Dodgers. For its part, Clearlake Capital owns a 61.5% stake.
Yes, but here it is, in the last few hours, Bloomberg revealed major differences regarding the general direction of the club, specifying in particular ” differing opinions on Chelsea’s recruitment policy, the team’s underperformance and the failure to make progress on building a new stadium “. A rupture then putting into play the future of Chelsea, eleventh in the Premier League after three days and still as disappointing on the sporting level despite the significant investments made in recent months. It should be noted, in this regard, that the Blues have spent around 1.5 billion euros since Abramovich’s departure… This Sunday, The Telegraph also makes new revelations about the crisis situation currently being experienced by the Blues.
Chelsea must now manage an institutional crisis
Thus, the relationship between Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali, the central figure of Clearlake Capital, would have reached a breaking point. From then on, the two businessmen would be, today, ready to buy the shares of the other in order to take control. A version very different from that announced by the latter, since Bloomberg suggested that Todd Boehly might slam the door. This is ultimately not the case. Indeed, it is indeed a power struggle that is now being played out in the southwest of the British capital. The English media adds, in this regard, that Clearlake sources quickly indicated that they had no intention of selling and that its co-founder Behdad Eghbali would evaluate the possibility of increasing his stake in the club by potentially buying other shares, including that of Boehly.
Announced on the way out, the latter would ultimately have the same intentions. Indeed, Todd Boehly’s involvement in the project is so great that at present, he could offer an amount close to 3,000 million euros to Clearlake Capital to grab the stake and regain control. As a reminder and as part of the agreement concluded during the takeover, Boehly currently holds the position of president, and this, until 2027, date at which Clearlake Capital will, in turn, designate its candidate for the presidency of Chelsea. Unless everything changes, if one of the two men cracks and finally decides to sell his shares. One thing is certain, the tension is at its peak on the Blues side. A deleterious climate which could, moreover, directly weigh on the sporting results of Enzo Maresca’s troops, appointed to the London bench during the summer after the departure of Mauricio Pochettino…
