New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly has broken his silence after the club's takeover was completed.
The US business tycoon's consortium have taken control from Roman Abramovich following the Russian oligarch's 19-year reign, and Boehly declared upon the official announcement: "We are honoured to become the new custodians of Chelsea Football Club. We're all in - 100% - every minute of every match. Our vision as owners is clear: we want to make the fans proud.
"Along with our commitment to developing the youth squad and acquiring the best talent, our plan of action is to invest in the Club for the long-term and build on Chelsea’s remarkable history of success. I personally want to thank ministers and officials in the British government, and the Premier League, for all their work in making this happen."
The Blues outlined in-depth details of Boehly and co's long-awaited takeover in a thorough statement. "The consortium led by Todd Boehly, chairman and CEO of Eldridge, and Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (together with its affiliates, "Clearlake"), today announced completion of the ownership transfer of Chelsea Football Club," it read.
"The consortium also includes Hansjörg Wyss, founder of the Wyss Foundation, and Mark Walter, co-founder and CEO of Guggenheim Capital. Walter and Boehly are owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Los Angeles Sparks. The transaction has received all necessary approvals from The Government of the United Kingdom, The Premier League, and other authorities."
Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano, who are Clearlake's co-founders and managing partners, added: "We are excited to commit the resources to continue Chelsea’s leading role in English and global football, and as an engine for football talent development. We also want to thank the authorities for all their work throughout the process.
"As pioneers in sports and media investing, we are thrilled to partner with Todd and the rest of the consortium to meaningfully grow the Club as a global platform. Together, we will expand the Club's investment across infrastructure, technology, and sports science to support the incredible Chelsea football and commercial teams – all with the goal of leveraging this growth to fuel even more on-pitch success."
The fresh confirmation allows manager Thomas Tuchel and the club's other high-profile employees to plan for a summer which will mark a new era in Chelsea's history. Tuchel has already spoken of his anticipation in regards working under a new regime, with the Blues boss most recently declaring: "The signs are positive... We want to build a competitive team for next season.
"I think it will sink in over the next few days that it was like this (the end of the Abramovich era). I struggle to adapt to the new situation. It is there and it is close, in theory, but it is not. I hope it will be and I think it will then feel more like a new era when things get started and the new season kicks in."
A UK Government spokesperson said of the sale: "Today's change of ownership marks a new chapter for Chelsea Football Club in the best interests of its fans, the club and the wider football community. The club is now no longer subject to the sanctions imposed on Roman Abramovich, an individual who has enabled [Vladimir] Putin 's brutal and barbaric invasion of Ukraine.
Prediction time! Will Boehly's era at Chelsea be as successful as Abramovich's? Tell us in the comments section.
"Since sanctions were imposed on Abramovich on 10 March, we have worked tirelessly to ensure the club can continue to play football, while maintaining the integrity of our sanctions regime.
"Chelsea's long-term future is now secured and binding commitments have been received which ensure sanctioned individuals cannot financially benefit from the sale. The Government retains control to ensure that this is the case. We have begun the process of ensuring the proceeds are used for humanitarian purposes in Ukraine that result from Russian aggression. Further details will be set out in due course."
