Todd Boehly looks set to sell his stake in Chelsea just over four years after his arrival at Stamford Bridge, with a row over the re-development of the stadium reportedly at the heart of his decision. The American arrived in West London in May 2022 as part of a £4.25bn takeover to replace Roman Abramovich.
Alongside Clearlake Capital, Boehly’s BlueCo consortium have since poured money into the club, with millions spent on transfers and managers. But reports suggest Boehly is looking to cash in on his share following disagreements with co-owner Behdad Eghbali.
Stadium row central to split
According to The Sun, a main sticking point is the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge. Both Boehly and Eghbali agree Chelsea need a new, purpose-built venue away from the current site but have different visions. Neither side is willing to provide their share of the £5bn construction cost, while the other camp would still retain huge influence over the project and direction of the club.
Boehly is set to leave his role as Chelsea chairman at the end of the season, which could lead to a natural exit, albeit a deal to buy him out is not expected to be easy.
Boehly’s previous comments on stadium plans
Speaking about the potential of a new stadium in March last year with Bloomberg, Boehly said: “We have a big stadium development opportunity that we have to figure out. And I think the owners will either be aligned, or we ultimately decide to go our different ways.”
He added: “It’s not as if we are building something in the middle of a rural environment. We have a lot of constituencies to consider. Certainly, the Chelsea fan base is one. But long-term, I think we’re going to be building something new, and we’ll figure it out. Stadium development is happening around the world. You’re going to see the NBA expanding into Europe, new stadiums and arenas being built. We’re just at the very beginning of this wave, and sporting infrastructure will be a major part of it.”
“We’ve been aligned on what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to build,” he added. “If you look at the evolution of the team, we’ve been working together on building a young squad with long contracts. That was all new. In order to do what we’ve done, it’s because we’re aligned.”
Chelsea had an eye-catching plan for the redevelopment of Stamford Bridge granted planning permission in January 2017, albeit that was scrapped just over a year later, citing an ‘unfavourable investment climate’.
