Boehly Sells Chelsea Stake, Clearlake Takes Full Control
Todd Boehly has sold his Chelsea stake to Clearlake Capital, which now holds full ownership of the club.
Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and director Mark Walter have sold their stakes in the Premier League side to majority owner Clearlake Capital,’ which has now assumed full control, the club announced Wednesday. American billionaires Boehly and Walter were among the investors who originally partnered with Clearlake to purchase Chelsea from Roman Abramovich for £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in May 2022.
A club statement confirmed: “Chelsea Football Club today announced affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (‘Clearlake’) will acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly. As part of the transition, Clearlake will also acquire Mark Walter’s ownership interest and therefore acquire full control of the Club.”
Prior to this announcement, Clearlake already held a 62 per cent stake in Chelsea, with Boehly and Walter holding the remaining shares alongside fellow investor Hansjorg Wyss. According to the club statement, Wyss “will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group.”
No financial terms for the deal were officially disclosed, though Boehly and Walter were reported to have valued the club at £5 billion. The Financial Times reported that the pair were set to receive £950 million in cash, in a deal valuing the club at approximately $5 billion including debt.
Reflecting on his departure, Boehly said it had been “an honour to serve as Chairman of Chelsea Football Club.” He added: “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.”
Chelsea endured a disappointing 10th-place finish in the Premier League last season, prompting the club to appoint Xabi Alonso as its new manager. Boehly had reportedly grown dissatisfied with the club’s overall direction, particularly regarding recruitment strategy, managerial decisions and a potential new stadium project. Reports had also suggested that Boehly and Clearlake attempted to buy each other out of Chelsea multiple times over the past two years.
Boehly and Walter also co-own the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, while Walter recently sold the Los Angeles Lakers basketball franchise for $12.5 billion. Clearlake Capital co-founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano thanked Boehly “for his time and contribution as Chairman.”
The club confirmed that “there will be no changes to the day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy at the Club” following the ownership transition.
Do you think this change in ownership structure will help stabilise Chelsea’s performance under Clearlake’s full control?
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