Chelsea FC chairman Todd Boehly has stepped down from his position after reaching an agreement to sell his stake in the Premier League club to co-owners Clearlake Capital. The news broke in the early hours of Thursday morning, with the US equity firm taking over "full control of the club".
Boehly's tenure and statement
Boehly purchased his share in the west London club back in 2022 and described his time as chairman as an "honour". He expressed his gratitude to "the coaches and players, the talented leadership and staff at Chelsea, and the legions of dedicated fans".
His statement continued: "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."
Clearlake's response and ownership changes
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 confirmed that Hansjörg Wyss "will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group" following fellow co-owner Mark Walter's decision to sell his share to Clearlake. Mr Boehly, Mr Walter and Hansjörg Wyss each held a 12.8% stake after jointly acquiring Chelsea four years ago.
Impact on the club
The reshuffle is not expected to affect the club's day-to-day running or overall strategy.
