Clearlake Takes Full Control Of Chelsea As Boehly, Walter Sell Stakes

Clearlake Capital has acquired full control of Chelsea after chairman Todd Boehly and director Mark Walter sold their stakes to the majority owner. The deal leaves Clearlake, led by co-founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano, in sole control of the club.

Boehly, Walter and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss each held 12.8%, while Clearlake previously owned 61.5%. The club said Wyss will remain an important stakeholder and partner. Boehly will step down as chairman, a position he has held since 2022, when the consortium bought Chelsea from Roman Abramovich for £2.3bn after the Russian was sanctioned by the UK government over alleged links to Vladimir Putin. Abramovich has denied those links.

Clearlake is understood to have paid approaching £1bn for the two stakes, about a quarter of the club, although people close to the transaction maintain Chelsea’s overall value is around £5bn. BBC Sport reported in August that Boehly and Walter were exploring selling their stakes. Sources said talks began after a rift in Chelsea’s ownership group, first apparent in 2024, led both sides to explore buying each other out.

Boehly said it had been an “honour” to serve as chairman, thanking the Premier League, coaches, players, Chelsea leadership and staff, and fans. He said he valued his partnership with Clearlake and the wider ownership group and was confident Chelsea was well positioned for continued success. Boehly and Walter also sold their shareholding in Chelsea’s partner club Strasbourg.

Eghbali and Feliciano thanked Boehly for his “time and contribution” as chairman, saying he would “always be a part of the Chelsea story and family.” They said their focus was to continue investing in infrastructure, sporting performance, player development and long-term success. Chelsea said there would be no changes to day-to-day operations, leadership or strategy.

Since the 2022 takeover, Chelsea’s highest Premier League finish is fourth in 2024-25, and the club won the Uefa Conference League and Fifa Club World Cup that season. Chelsea finished 10th last season and appointed Xabi Alonso as manager in the summer. The club has had high player turnover, initially focusing on signing young players to long-term contracts. Ongoing plans to redevelop Stamford Bridge or move to a new stadium have created tension at times between Boehly’s camp and Clearlake,

sources said. Walter, co-owner and chief executive of Guggenheim Partners, last month sold the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5bn, a year after buying a majority stake in the NBA franchise. US federal prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission are investigating companies in Walter’s business empire.