Chelsea have announced that Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have sold their stakes in the club to Clearlake Capital, who will now take full control of the Premier League giants.
The American billionaire businessmen were amongst the investors who teamed up with Clearlake to purchase the club from Roman Abramovich in a UK government-mandated sale back in May 2022.
Previously, private equity firm Clearlake held 61.5 per cent of the club, while Boehly and Walter shared the remaining stake with fellow investor Hansjorg Wyss.
Statement confirms transition
A statement released late on Wednesday evening confirmed: "Chelsea Football Club today announced affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, LP ("Clearlake") will acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly."
"Hansjorg Wyss will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group."
"As part of the transition, Clearlake will also acquire Mark Walter's ownership interest and therefore acquire full control of the club."
The Blues acknowledged that chairman Boehly had demonstrated "unwavering commitment" to the ownership group's belief that the supporters are at the heart of the club.
Investment and future plans
"The owners have worked together with the shared objective of building a sustainable foundation for long-term sporting success," the statement continued. "Under their joint ownership, substantial investment has been made across the men's and women's senior and youth squads, Chelsea's training facilities at Cobham, medical and player-support resources, Academy development and pathways, and the sporting and business leadership of the club."
"Todd Boehly now leaves his role as chairman with Chelsea well positioned for the next phase of development. Clearlake intends to continue building on the strategic course the club is now on and realising the ambition that the ownership group has developed together."
Boehly said: "It has been an honour to serve as chairman of Chelsea Football Club. I would like to thank the many who helped secure a bright future for the club, including the English Premier League, the coaches and players, the talented leadership and staff at Chelsea, and the legions of dedicated fans."
"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
Behdad Eghbali and Jose 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."
The Blues, who brought in Xabi Alonso as their new manager over the summer and currently sit sixth in the Premier League, have confirmed that daily operations, leadership and club strategy will remain unchanged.
