Chelsea makes big announcement as Todd Boehly steps down as chairman

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly has agreed to sell his stake in the Premier League club to co-owners Clearlake Capital

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly will step down from his position after agreeing to offload his stake in the Premier League football club to co-owners Clearlake Capital.

The announcement emerged early on Thursday morning, with the US equity firm taking on “full control of the club”.

Boehly purchased a stake in the London club in 2022 and described it as an “honour” to serve as chairman.

He expressed gratitude to “the coaches and players, the talented leadership and staff at Chelsea, and the legions of dedicated fans”.

His statement went on: “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 E. Feliciano, co-founders of Clearlake Capital, commented: “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 announced 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 share to Clearlake.

Mr Boehly, Mr Walter and Hansjörg Wyss each held a 12.8% stake following their collective takeover of Chelsea four years ago.

The recent shift will not alter day-to-day operations or strategy at the club.