Todd Boehly wants to kick-off a new Chelsea era in spectacular fashion, vowing to bring the best of the best to Stamford Bridge.
The American and his partners, Clearlake Capital, finally completed their buyout of Roman Abramovich on Monday.
And they wasted no time in laying out their ambitions for the club, with Boehly promising to secure some of the world’s finest players.
Clearlake added that they would continue to pump the money in to take Chelsea to the summit of football after Abramovich’s lavish investment over the past 19 years.
Boehly has already met manager Thomas Tuchel, with the pair agreeing the need to rebuild the team. Sevilla centre-back Jules Kounde could be the first signing under the new owners.
But Boehly also wants to fully exploit Chelsea’s home-grown talent, with Conor Gallagher and Levi Colwill two academy players who will get the chance to impress.
Boehly said: “We’re all in — 100 per cent — 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.”
Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano of Clearlake 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.
“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.”
Boehly will take up the role of controlling owner and plans to spend much of the summer in the UK to oversee a crucial transfer window.
Chairman Bruce Buck, director Marina Granovskaia and technical and performance advisor Petr Cech are all expected to stay on in their roles in the immediate future.
Confirmation of the takeover came early yesterday evening, with the new owners making clear their commitment to build on the success of Abramovich’s reign. They will immediately get to work on their summer recruitment, with transfer plans held up by the sanctions placed on the club’s former owner.
The inability to offer new contracts contributed to the departures of free agents Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen and has also impacted on their attempts to line up signings during this transfer window.
While Tuchel, Granovskaia and Cech have discussed targets, the uncertainty surrounding the club has left them playing catch-up with rivals.
Midfielder Aurelien Tchouameni is close to joining Real Madrid after being monitored by Chelsea scouts, while another target, Ivan Perisic, is set to sign for Tottenham.
Tuchel and Boehly want to make up for lost time, with two centre-backs on their wanted list, as well cover at wing-back and a potential overhaul in attack.
