Todd Boehly has revealed that he only signed Marc Cucurella for Chelsea because he knew Manchester City were interested in the defender first. The American, who became Chelsea's chairman after Clearlake Capital's takeover in 2022, served as interim sporting director during his first summer transfer window despite having no prior football experience.
Speaking at an IConnections event, Boehly explained his transfer strategy was largely based on rivals' targets. 'Obviously, having taken over in the circumstances that we did, basically the whole management team left. I was stuck being interim Sporting Director for a summer, having no idea what made a good football player,' he said. 'But knowing that Marc Cucurella, if Man City wanted him, I want him. It was really simple that way.'
During that summer, Chelsea spent over £200 million on signings including Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, Wesley Fofana, and Cucurella. Of the 12 permanent additions, only Cucurella, Fofana, and third-choice goalkeeper Gabriel Slonina remain at the club. Koulibaly left for Saudi Arabia after one season, while Sterling was released in January and joined PSV Eindhoven as a free agent.
Boehly defended Chelsea's long-term approach under co-sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart, despite fan criticism. 'The reality of it is that you have a plan and you stick to it, and when you get new information, you pivot and you adjust,' he said. 'You can't be trying to build something that really is about execution over long periods of time... I think finding those right elements, the first time at anything is tricky, so you're going to make mistakes.'
