Clearlake Capital set to take full control of Chelsea as Boehly exits

Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly and fellow co-owner Mark Walter have agreed to sell their stake in the club to majority shareholders Clearlake Capital in a deal valuing the Premier League side at £5bn.

Clearlake’s ownership will rise from 61.5% to 86.5%, while Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss will retain a 13.5% share.

The change will not affect Chelsea’s day-to-day operations, leadership or overall strategy, the club said. Boehly and Walter are expected to make a small profit on their investment after four years of ownership.

Boehly was the public face of the consortium which bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in 2022. However, Clearlake co-founder Behdad Eghbali has since become the most influential figure within the ownership group.

“It has been an honour to serve as chairman of Chelsea Football Club,” Boehly said.

“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.”

Eghbali and Clearlake co-founder Jose Feliciano thanked Boehly for his contribution.

“Todd has been an important partner throughout our ownership of Chelsea, and we thank him for his time and contribution as chairman,” they said.

“He will always be a part of the Chelsea story and family.”

Differences over stadium plans

The restructuring follows several years of reported disagreement between Boehly and Clearlake over Chelsea’s direction and the future of Stamford Bridge.

In March 2025, Boehly warned that the owners could eventually separate if they failed to reach an agreement over plans for the stadium.

Chelsea have been weighing up whether to stay at Stamford Bridge and redevelop the historic ground or move to another site in London, with Earl’s Court among the locations discussed.

“We have to think long term about what we’re trying to accomplish,” Boehly said in an interview with Bloomberg.

“We have a big stadium development opportunity that we have to flesh out. That’s going to be where we’re either aligned, or we ultimately decide to go different ways.”

There were also reported tensions over football matters, including Boehly’s unhappiness at the decision to part company with Mauricio Pochettino in May 2024.

Enzo Maresca replaced Pochettino and led Chelsea to the Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup before leaving at the start of 2026.

Chelsea then finished 10th in the Premier League and missed out on European football before appointing Xabi Alonso as their new head coach this summer.

Clearlake said its priorities under full control would include further investment in the club’s infrastructure, sporting performance and player development.

“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,” Eghbali and Feliciano said.