Major change at the head of Chelsea and by extension, Strasbourg. Todd Boehly and Mark Walter sold their stakes to Clearlake Capital, which already owned 62% of the London club and now takes full control. According to the Financial Timesthe two men are to receive 950 million pounds, or around 1.1 billion euros in cash, in a deal valuing Chelsea at around 5 billion pounds, including debt. Boehly thus leaves the presidency four years after having participated in the purchase of the Blues from Roman Abramovitch for around 2.9 billion euros. Hansjörg Wyss will remain a shareholder of the group.
“ The Chelsea Football Club announced today that affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, LP will acquire the interest held by Todd Boehlywrites the press release from the London club. As part of this transition, Clearlake will also acquire the stake held by Mark Walter and thus take full control of the club. » This operation comes after several years marked by disagreements between Boehly and Clearlake over the management of the Blues, particularly in a context of irregular sporting results despite considerable investments in the transfer market.
An impact on Strasbourg
Under his leadership, colossal sums (several hundred million euros) were spent on the transfer market without much return from a sporting point of view. The club’s only major title was the Club World Cup last year against PSG, and to a lesser extent a Europa Conference League. Above all, the club gave the impression of piling on players without any reasoned sporting policy. “ It has been an honor to serve as President of Chelsea Football Club. I would like to thank the many who have helped secure a bright future for the Club, including the Premier League, coaches and players, Chelsea’s talented management and staff, and the legions of dedicated fans“, declared the American businessman upon his departure.
“ 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 », he continues in his press release. The change also concerns Strasbourg. The Clearlake Capital fund, already the majority within the BlueCo consortium, now becomes sole in control of the whole, while Boehly and Walter are withdrawing from their participations.
