Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly will leave his role after agreeing to sell his stake in the Premier League football club to co-owners Clearlake Capital. The announcement came early on Thursday morning, with the US equity firm acquiring "full control of the club".
Boehly's tenure and statement
Boehly bought a stake in the London club in 2022 and said it had been an "honour" to serve as chairman. He gave his thanks 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 said that Hansjörg Wyss "will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group" after Mark Walter, another of the club's co-owners, also sold his stake to Clearlake. Mr Boehly, Mr Walter and Hansjörg Wyss each had a 12.8% stake following their joint takeover of Chelsea four years ago.
The new change will not change day-to-day operations or strategy at the club.
