Todd Boehly's first major challenges after his Chelsea takeover
Sort Tuchel’s defensive crisis, address the stadium problem and finally launch season ticket sales – with just 67 days to go! Todd Boehly’s first major challenges after £4.25bn takeover of Chelsea
- Todd Boehly’s takeover of Chelsea was finally confirmed on Monday afternoon
- The American billionaire’s consortium take ownership from Roman Abramovich
- Boehly and his group have several tasks in their in-tray after completing the deal
- The new Blues owners are set to give Thomas Tuchel a £200million war-chest
- Season ticket sales also need to start with just 67 days until start of new season
Chelsea fans will have breathed a huge sigh of relief when news dropped that Todd Boehly’s takeover of the troubled club had finally been completed.
Confirmation of Boehly as Chelsea’s new owner followed a protracted 90-day saga that had, at times, threatened the very future of the Blues.
While the finalisation of the takeover marks a significant step forward for Chelsea after they were plunged into crisis by government sanctions placed on Roman Abramovich, the American tycoon will know this is only the beginning.
As the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust warned: ‘The hard work starts now.’
Boehly has declared he is ‘100 per cent’ committed to maintaining Chelsea’s position at the top of English and European football, a task that is not without its difficulties.
American Todd Boehly’s protracted takeover of Chelsea finally went through on Monday
Boehly has officially replaced Roman Abramovich as owner of the Stamford Bridge club
On the pitch
Address the defensive crisis
According to reports, Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel will be given a £200million war-chest to upgrade his squad as they seek to close the gap on the Premier League’s runaway pair of Manchester City and Liverpool.
Tuchel will almost certainly be prioritising investing in his defence with the money provided by the American supremo, and generated by player sales, as high-profile departures have left him with a crisis in his backline.
Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who have made a combined 364 appearances for Chelsea, are leaving the club for Barcelona and Real Madrid respectively, while there are doubts over the futures of captain Cesar Azpilicueta and Marcos Alonso.
Antonio Rudiger is leaving Chelsea to join Real Madrid when his contract expires in June
The departures of Rudiger and Andreas Christensen (centre) are an issue for Thomas Tuchel
Sevilla’s Jules Kounde is expected to be the first arrival of the Boehly era at Chelsea
Those gaps will have to be filled in the summer if Chelsea are to challenge for major honours, both domestically and in Europe, under Tuchel next season.
Sevilla’s highly-rated French centre back Jules Kounde is in line to become the first signing of the Boehly era and would be a welcome arrival for Chelsea supporters.
Fans will also be hoping wing-back Reece James signs a new contract, and tying the England international down to an extended deal would, for some, be as important as bringing in fresh faces.
In short: work to do at the back.
Energise an ageing midfield
N’Golo Kante and Jorginho have been mainstays of Tuchel’s team but both players are not getting any younger and will not be able to anchor the Chelsea team forever.
With a combined age of 61, the formidable duo are hardly past it, but defensive midfield will nonetheless be an area the German coach will want to strengthen.
N’Golo Kante is out of contract at Stamford Bridge next year after having an injury-hit season
Both players are out of contract at Stamford Bridge next year, along with other midfielders including Ross Barkley and Billy Gilmour. Saul Niguez is unlikely to be retained following a poor loan spell, while forgotten man Danny Drinkwater is also heading out of the exit door this summer.
It is little wonder, then, that Chelsea have been regularly linked with a move for £100m-rated Declan Rice from West Ham, who at 23 is one of the most sought-after players in his position.
While it is unlikely Tuchel will want to blow half of his budget on one player, whose club has insisted is not for sale, the speculation points to what Chelsea might look to do in the summer window.
Aurelien Tchouameni is also admired at the club, but is expected to join Real Madrid, and Chelsea are thought to have considered pursuing PSV’s Ibrahim Sangare as an alternative.
Italian defensive midfielder Jorginho also only has one year left on his deal at the club
Tuchel is set to be given £200million to strengthen his squad in the summer transfer window
Deal with the Lukaku problem
The re-signing of Romelu Lukaku from Inter Milan for a club-record £97.5m has simply not worked out for either party.
The Belgian has scored just 15 goals in 44 appearances for the Blues this season and regularly found himself on the bench due to his poor form.
Lukaku has also been openly critical of his manager and his tactics, sparking a furious response from supporters who have grown tired of his abject displays in a blue shirt.
Romelu Lukaku has endured a difficult season back in the blue of Chelsea and could leave
Lukaku has regularly found himself on the bench under Tuchel during his frustrating campaign
Chelsea, for now, are laboured with their most expensive asset as he is under contract until June 2026 and will be difficult to shift.
The club will be desperate to recoup as much of their significant outlay as possible but potential suitors will surely be unwilling to stump up anywhere near the fee Chelsea paid for him last summer.
Lukaku is reportedly after a move back to Inter, yet the Serie A side, pipped to the Scudetto title by city rivals AC Milan, may struggle to afford him.
A sale could further facilitate incomings, however, so Chelsea may have to cut their losses.
Off the pitch
Kick-start ticket sales
Ticketing was the first area raised by the CST in its letter to Boehly after his takeover of the club was confirmed.
Chelsea were, of course, unable to sell tickets for home matches to those other than season ticket holders or supporters who bought seats prior to the Government sanctions being put in place.
Now the takeover is done, business as usual can return to the club, but it has still not yet announced details of season ticket renewals.
Chelsea can return to business as usual with ticketing following the Government sanctions
The club were prevented from selling tickets to home matches to those who had not already bought seats before the sanctions came into effect
The CST has urged Boehly’s consortium to ‘commit to freezing ticket prices at current levels for the 2022-23 season’ as a show of ‘goodwill’ to supporters following reports of significant price hikes in certain areas of Stamford Bridge.
Prices in the the West Stand upper tier, rebranded to Westview following an overhaul of the facilities in the area, are set to soar from £1,250 to £3,900 per seat for a tier one ticket on and around the halfway line.
The CST called on Boehly to ‘review decisions taken on pricing for Westview, where we are anticipating significant price rises which will price out a number of season ticket holders’. It is now up to Boehly and his consortium to respond.
Redevelop Stamford Bridge
Chelsea’s stadium is an age-old issue for supporters, who have seen their club fall behind London rivals such as Tottenham, Arsenal and West Ham in terms of matchday revenue due to the size of Stamford Bridge.
At just shy of 42,000, the ground is among the smaller Premier League stadia. It has needed redeveloping for as long as most fans will remember.
Encouragingly for Chelsea, Boehly’s group had been discussing plans to renovate Stamford Bridge even before the takeover was completed.
Chelsea have been looking to redevelop their Stamford Bridge home for several years
Boehly’s consortium has promised redevelopment of the 42,000-capacity venue
It is thought Boehly’s group produced one of the more detailed redevelopment proposals during the bidding war and have already spoken to several architects about the ground, including those who worked on Abramovich’s eventually-shelved plans to carry out a £1bn renovation of Stamford Bridge back in 2018.
The American wants to redevelop the ground on a stand-by-stand basis rather than demolishing the ground and building it up again.
A group called Chelsea Pitch Owners own the freehold of the Stamford Bridge pitch, making them key stakeholders in any development process.
Boehly has promised investment into the infrastructure at the club but actions speak louder than words and Chelsea fans will be closely watching his consortium’s plans for their home for more than 115 years.
Increase supporter representation
Boehly quickly emerged as the preferred owner among supporters, primarily because of his interaction with fans during the takeover process.
His engagement with the lifeblood of Chelsea would no doubt have been encouraging amid calls for fans to have a greater say in the way the club is run following the furore over the European Super League.
Boehly has already made promising steps in this regard with the appointment of high-profile supporters Daniel Finkelstein – who took part in the Government’s fan-led review of football governance, launched in the wake of the Super League plans – and Barbara Charone.
The new owner has been told the ‘hard work starts now’ after his takeover was completed
But the American will now be under pressure to deliver enhanced supporter representation, a key demand of Boehly’s consortium from the CST.
The CST wants the new ownership to ‘give supporter representatives a legally-binding say on any decisions on matters relating to club heritage, and improved supporter representation mechanism’.
Through the creation of what the CST calls a ‘golden share’, the trust wants the power to block any future attempts to be part of a Super League, as well as veto over where home games are played, the club name, badge, home shirt and stadium name.
Boehly has also been asked to create a ‘shadow board’, which would act in an advisory capacity as the trust says ‘current supporter representation mechanisms leave something to be desired’.
Keep sponsors on board – and bring in new ones
The sanctions on Abramovich sparked concern among Chelsea’s portfolio of sponsors.
Telecoms company Three has been removed from the list of partners on Chelsea’s website and others, including Hyundai and Zapp, have also been considering their positions.
Three had sprung into action in response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and suspended its £40million deal with the Blues in March. Hyundai then followed suit.
While Boehly’s takeover should ease some of the fears felt by companies who did not want to fall victim of ‘guilt by association’ in remaining with Chelsea, the future remains uncertain for the Blues from a revenue standpoint.
They will have to convince sponsors that they have moved on from the Abramovich era and plug the gaps left by those who no longer wish to be connected with the beleaguered club.
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