Just over two years ago, when a group of American investors bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich for nearly three billion euros, no one could have predicted the chaos that would follow within the club. Instead of continuing to develop and advance, the two-time Champions League winners have turned into a circus that the entire football world now mocks. The situation has worsened recently, with internal conflicts coming to light, revealing a significant rift at the club’s highest levels. On one side stands Todd Boehly, while the opposing faction is the investment fund Clearlake Capital. Relations have deteriorated to the point where both sides are trying to buy out the other and remove them from all club structures.Todd Boehly’s relationship with Clearlake Capital is reportedly strained, with tensions rising to an untenable level. The co-owners are allegedly considering buying each other out, leaving Chelsea on the verge of civil war. [@Matt_Law_DT] pic.twitter.com/Au20azyOO7— Football Talk (@FootballTalkHQ) September 7, 2024 Allegedly, Todd Boehly has gained the backing of several investors to launch an effort to take full control of Chelsea by acquiring the 61.5% stake currently owned by the American fund. Meanwhile, Clearlake Capital co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano have unofficially confirmed that they have no intention of selling any percentage of their shares. Reportedly, their plan is to buy out Boehly and gain even greater control of the club. The seriousness of Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano in their intention to retain their stake in Chelsea is underscored by a Sky Sports report, which states that even a significantly higher offer than what the club was bought for wouldn’t make them consider selling their shares.Obi Mikel reveals his involvement in a Osimhen – Chelsea dealThe rift between them and Todd Boehly stems from Boehly’s dissatisfaction with his current status in the club hierarchy. Although Boehly owns around 13%, just like his business partners Mark Walter and Hansjörg Wyss, he initially held the top position at Stamford Bridge at the beginning of Chelsea’s new era. He took on a role akin to a sporting director, despite having no prior experience in that field. Under his leadership, the club signed players like Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He also sacked Thomas Tuchel and replaced him with Graham Potter, which turned out to be a poor decision.TOP 10 costliest squads: Chelsea top the list, Premier League with seven teamsDuring Boehly’s control over transfers, Chelsea spent over 600 million euros but achieved little on the field. This prompted Feliciano and Eghbali to intervene and essentially sideline Boehly. However, even this move did not yield better results, as Chelsea has since spent nearly 2 billion on new signings across two seasons without coming close to the prominence they enjoyed during the Abramovich era. This is one of the primary reasons Boehly wants to regain control and oust Eghbali and Feliciano. He is reportedly frustrated with the lack of progress on the pitch, the way signings have been handled—though things weren’t much better during his tenure—and the failure to make any headway in the plan to modernize and expand Stamford Bridge, which was a key point in the owners’ original bid for the club. On paper, Eghbali, Feliciano, and Boehly are all key decision-makers in the club, but the two owners from Clearlake Capital consistently outvote Boehly in nearly every venture. Rumors of internal turmoil have been circulating for almost a year now. Interestingly, Eghbali and Feliciano have admitted to making significant mistakes in their management of the club, which led them to change course. They’ve hired an entirely new team to handle team promotion, established a new structure for managing the sporting sector, and appointed a new head coach (Enzo Maresca) along with a long list of new players. However, results are still far below Chelsea’s standards.Former Chelsea and Liverpool star is back in EnglandNeither side intends to back down or sell their shares to the other at this point. Both parties are dissatisfied with the moves made by the “rival” faction, which is why they are determined to push each other out of the club hierarchy. While the internal conflicts persist, Chelsea continues to struggle on the field. The club barely secured a spot in the Conference League, and after three league matches, they’ve only earned four points, with the fourth-worst defense and five goals conceded. All that remains of the once-glorious Chelsea is just a memory.##NAJAVA_MECA_8326030##
