8 hours ago
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Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have sold their stakes in Chelsea in a deal under which Clearlake Capital takes full control of the Premier League club.
The American billionaire businessmen Boehly and Walter were two of the investors who partnered with Clearlake to buy the club from Roman Abramovich in a sale mandated by the UK government in May 2022. The private equity company Clearlake had previously owned 61.5% of the club, with Boehly and Walter carving up the remaining shares with another investor, Hansjörg Wyss.
A statement issued late on Wednesday night read: “Chelsea Football Club today announced affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, LP 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.”
Chelsea said Boehly, the chair, had shown “unwavering commitment” to the ownership group’s belief that the supporters are at the heart of the club. “The owners have worked together with the shared objective of building a sustainable foundation for long-term sporting success,” the statement added.
“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.”
Behdad Eghbali and José Feliciano, cofounders 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, who appointed Xabi Alonso as manager in the summer and are sixth in the Premier League, say there will be no changes to day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy at the club.
