Chelsea’s owners are “optimistic about the future” under Mauricio Pochettino as they aim to build a squad capable of competing to win the Premier League.
It is a year since Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital took control of Chelsea and, while the women’s team have thrived, the men’s side have struggled notably.
The Blues finished 12th in the Premier League, their lowest top-flight finish since 1994, despite spending some £600million on new players, with both Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter sacked over the course of a dismal 2022-23 season.
Former Tottenham boss Pochettino has since been hired after the disastrous interim reign of Frank Lampard and will officially start work on July 1, with Boehly and Clearlake excited about what the future holds.
In an official statement released via club channels on Thursday, the ownership group extolled the virtues of several changes being made over the summer to improve Chelsea’s fortunes, including the appointment of Pochettino, building a new scouting and recruitment structure, bringing in Chris Jurasek as their new CEO and installing a fan advisory board.
“We remain completely committed to the long term and sustainable success of our club and fulfilling that promise we made to you,” the statement read.
“We know the huge potential we must grow to develop Chelsea FC and it is a role we take seriously. Everybody working here is relentlessly focused on driving us forward.
“Clearly, for our men’s team, it has been a disappointing season and there is a lot we can and will do better. Throughout these difficult periods, our fans have supported our players and our team across the country, and Europe with unfailing loyalty.
“We could not be more grateful for your incredible support. The atmosphere at the Bridge when we played Dortmund will live long in our memories and serves as an important reminder of where we want to be.
“For all the challenges of the past year, we are optimistic about the future. We are looking forward to welcoming Mauricio Pochettino as the head coach of our men’s team in July.
“We are building a modern scouting, talent identification, and recruiting infrastructure within our sporting department, led by Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, which will help us to identify and transform the squad around elite talent, a squad capable of consistently competing to win the Premier League, raise domestic cups and compete and win at the highest level in European football.
“We have also appointed Chris Jurasek as CEO to drive our business forward off the pitch, which in turn will make us more sustainable on the pitch.”
