A £6.5 billion tycoon is preparing a Chelsea bid to buy out Clearlake Capital, and the wealthy businessman is convinced he can agree a deal.
Boehly unhappy with Chelsea operations as tensions boil over
Currently, chairman Todd Boehly – alongside fellow chiefs Behdad Eghbali and José Feliciano – have the final say on all key decisions at Stamford Bridge (Kaveh Solhekol).
Eghbali and Feliciano, who represent Clearlake as the consortium’s co-founders, are part of the US equity firm which holds a majority 61.6 per cent of shares in the club – while Boehly has a separate stake in Chelsea of around 12.8 per cent (Sky Sports).
Clearlake therefore have the majority say on operations at Chelsea, and this is said to have caused a power struggle at the west London club recently. It is believed that Boehly is currently unhappy with how Chelsea is being run, and the American was also against sacking Mauricio Pochettino at the end of last season.
The decision to part company with Pochettino was taken following an extensive review of the 2023/2024 campaign by co-sporting directors Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, with Boehly seemingly overruled by his Clearlake counterparts.
It is believed that Boehly now wants to buy-out Clearlake Capital’s shares, which would give him majority control in an internal takeover of the club. The differences between Chelsea’s ownership groups have been described as “irreconcilable”, and other reports suggest that a civil war could be brewing at Chelsea for full control.
“What a big story this has been this week,” said former Everton CEO Keith Wyness to Football Insider. “It’s incredible really. You’ve got Clearlake with roughly 60% of the club, while Boehly speaks for the rest of the club although he owns 13% himself. What I found fascinating in the past week is what the two sides have been leaking to the media.
“Boehly has been leaking that he’s the one who wanted to be more hands-off and put the experts in place, letting the sporting directors run the football side. He’s saying Clearlake have been hands on, telling the experts to feed everything into them to make the final decisions.
“It’s a very messy situation. We’ve been criticising them for a lack of stability, and Boehly is saying that the decision that broke the camel’s back is the Pochettino sacking. Stability is key in a football club, and it has been lacking at Chelsea.”
This could even have an impact on their transfer activity, as Chelsea consider prioritising the signing of Patrick Dorgu from Lecce in January.
Boehly preparing Chelsea bid to buy out Clearlake Capital
According to HITC, Boehly is now preparing a Chelsea bid to buy out Clearlake and seize control, as the chief with a net worth of around £6.5 billion puts together backing from investors.
The 50-year-old is apparently confident he can agree a deal, and believes that one voice is required at the top after seeing his relationships with Eghbali, Feliciano and Clearlake become dismantled.
However, it is believed Eghbali and Feliciano have no intention of relinquishing their shares, and could dig their heels in for the foreseeable
