Who owns Chelsea after £950m Boehly and Walter stake sales?
Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have sold their combined 25 per cent stake in Chelsea in a deal that values the Premier League club at £5bn.
The agreement, announced last night, will see the former chairman of Chelsea Boehly – who was the face of the consortium that purchased the club from Roman Abramovich in 2022 – and Walter – who earlier this year sold the LA Lakers for £9bn amid mounting concerns over insurance probes relating to the American – for around £950m, according to the Financial Times.
The deal’s completion is expected by the end of the year.
It means private equity giants Clearlake Capital will be the ultimate controllers of Chelsea, and will hold around 88 per cent of the club. The remaining 12 per cent is controlled by Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss.
Boehly currently remains an investor or owner in baseball’s LA Dodgers, basketball’s LA Sparks and cricket’s Trent Rockets.
Chelsea statement
“Chelsea Football Club today announced affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (“Clearlake”) will acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly,” a club statement read overnight. “Hansjorg Wyss will remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group. As part of the transition, Clearlake will also acquire Mark Walter’s ownership interest and therefore acquire full control of the Club.”
Todd Boehly said: “It has been an honour to serve as Chairman of Chelsea Football Club. 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 [and] I am confident that Chelsea is well positioned for continued success under Clearlake’s leadership.”
Added Clearlake Capital: “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.”