New era for Chelsea and Strasbourg. During the night from Wednesday to Thursday, the two clubs formalized a major reorganization of their shareholding. American businessman Todd Boehly, an omnipresent and controversial figure since the takeover of the London club in May 2022 after the ousting of Roman Abramovitch, has sold all of his shares. He is accompanied in this withdrawal by his partner Mark Walter.
It is now the private equity company Clearlake Capital, already a 62% majority shareholder, which has taken full control of the two entities in the BlueCo galaxy. This colossal transaction allows Boehly and Walter to walk away with a check estimated at 950 million pounds sterling in cash (or approximately 1.1 billion euros). The operation values ​​the English institution at nearly 5 billion pounds sterling, including debt, marking a spectacular capital gain compared to the 2.5 billion pounds committed two years earlier.
If the Swiss investor Hansjörg Wyss retains his place as minority shareholder, Clearlake finds himself the sole master on board to guide the destiny of the Blues and the Alsatian club. This brutal disengagement concretizes months of silent tensions and strategic differences relayed by the English press between the Clearlake firm and President Boehly.
A buying frenzy on the transfer market
The Boehly era will remain marked by an unprecedented buying frenzy – several hundred million euros injected into the transfer market – without managing to establish lasting sporting stability. Apart from a victory in the Club World Cup against PSG and a success in the Europa Conference League, Chelsea have often given the impression of accumulating contracts without a rigorous overall vision.
In the official press release published by the club, the American wanted to say goodbye soberly: “Chelsea Football Club announced today that affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, LP will acquire the interest held by Todd Boehly. As part of this transition, Clearlake will also acquire the stake held by Mark Walter and thus take full control of the club. »
“It has been an honor to serve as President of Chelsea Football Club,” continued the American businessman. I valued my partnership with Clearlake and the broader ownership group, and the collective decisions and investments we made to support the immediate and long-term success of the Club. I am confident that Chelsea are well positioned for continued success under Clearlake’s leadership. »
For RC Strasbourg, this tectonic plate movement at the top of BlueCo also transfers exclusive power to Clearlake Capital. A new page thus opens for the two clubs.
