At the end of May last year, the sale of Chelsea Football Club and all of the club's holdings were officially passed on from previous owner Roman Abramovich to Todd Boehly and his consortium.
Nobody quite knew what to expect at the time. Money had been promised, yes, but would that guarantee a repeat of the successes over the preceding decades? With Thomas Tuchel at the helm, the financial boost of a new owner running a £4.72 billion net worth company appeared to be the next step to bridge the gap between the Blues and then-runaway title challengers Manchester City and Liverpool.
So, what direction has the club gone in since the takeover? That is a question with multiple layers that can be answered with so many alternative ways.
A not-so-swift restructure
One of Boehly's first moves as owner was to rapidly organise a restructure behind the scenes at Stamford Bridge.
Before pre-season preparations for 2022/23 began, the club announced that Chairman Bruce Buck was to step aside from his role after 19 years. In the weeks and months that followed, Marina Granovskaia - Chelsea's de facto Sporting Director - and Technical & Performance Advisor, Petr Cech, and Head of Scouting, Scott McLaghlan, left their posts too.
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However, replacements weren't made immediately. It took over six months to install the likes of Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley as co-Sporting Directors, in which time Boehly - who has assumed the role of Chairman - had also stepped into that post on an interim basis.
In that time all key decisions were taken by the American, and while well-intended to usher in a new era, the damage may prove irreparable in some cases.
Football is a results-driven business: chapter one
While all is well laying the foundations for years to come, football is constantly judged on the here and now. One of Boehly's next key decisions was to part company with the man that produced Champions League, Super Cup and Club World Cup triumphs in the calendar year of 2021, and install Brighton manager Graham Potter in his place.
This happened after one win, one draw and one loss in the league, as well as defeat to Dinamo Zagreb in the first Champions League group stage outing under Tuchel, sparking curiosity surrounding the hastiness of such a decision.
Money, money, money
Despite possessing such fortune when he entered the Chelsea scene, it was unknown whether Boehly would back the manager - or as it turned out, managers - in the transfer market. In the summer he brought in £250 million-worth of new players, and by the end of the January window had bumped that spend up to over £600 million.
That answered that question, plain and simple, and the message was also clear on what kind of player Chelsea were looking for - youth. The average age of players brought in this winter was 20.6, laying the foundations for seasons to come and from an owners' point of view, maybe getting a future return on investment.
Bringing talent in is often in -ine with the manager's vision and keeps supporters appeased, but as Chelsea were doing so at such an alarming rate it raised the question, who was making these decisions? The answer, of course: Boehly.
Football is a results driven business: chapter two
Moving back to the action, Potter's reign began as he hoped to produce the same magic as he had on the south coast, and we all know how that went.
Again, despite all good intentions to start fresh with a long-term project, despite Boehly's calls to stick with his choice of manager, in the end the new board's hands were tied as European qualification slipped further away to let him go after seven tumultuous months.
In that time many factors have been analysed under the microscope to work out why the Englishman failed this season - bad luck on the injury front, a gigantic squad to manage, and finally a lack of firepower to seal the deal.
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The first, granted, is somewhat difficult to control, however the size of the Blues' roster and goals drying up can be traced back the decision-making of Boehly in the transfer market, so again, how justifiable was Potter's sacking? And should he have been there for it to happen in the first place?
Now, the club stands at a crossroads, searching for its next permanent manager and a solution to the mess that is it's squad.
What is Boehly's updated plan to take the club forward?
The first task at hand is the next Chelsea manager. Only once that's done can the following steps take place.
As Chairman, Boehly will have to decide how much of a say he has in the upcoming managerial verdict, given that the structure is now in place to ensure that 2022/23 was just a nightmare one-off. Even if he has watched Moneyball for a crash course in decision-making from the great Billy Beane, it might be safer to leave this next one with Stewart and Winstanley.
After that comes the tough task of juggling the current squad by shipping out the deadwood and dare it even be said, finding even more additions in line with whoever occupies the dugout next season. Even if Chelsea do rediscover their form next year, the repercussions of this spending spree will be felt for years to come.
Former midfielder Joe Cole made his feelings clear on how many players he thinks need to go, and whether the club's owner agrees, only time will tell. He will have to be a part of, or at least facilitate as a minimum, the anticipated clear-out which is expected to be a costly one.
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