Xabi Alonso has underlined the importance of having clarity over Chelsea’s ownership situation after it was confirmed that Clearlake Capital has assumed full control of the club.
In a statement on Wednesday night, the Blues confirmed that Clearlake Capital would acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly and Mark Walter, with minority owner Hansjorg Wyss retaining his 12.8 per cent stake in the club.
The announcement marks a significant change in the direction of the club, with Boehly and Walter involved in the £4.25billion acquisition of the club from former owner Roman Abramovich in 2022.
Boehly, who has also stepped down from his position as chairman, was initially heavily involved in the decision-making at Stamford Bridge, taking over as interim sporting director during the ownership’s first summer in charge.
Boehly then stepped back from that role in January 2023, with Clearlake co-founder Behdad Eghbali assuming more control of the day-to-day running of the club.
Eghbali was the man behind the decision to bring Alonso to west London this summer, flying to Madrid for negotiations with the former Liverpool midfielder.
He has also been Alonso’s main point of contact in the ownership group since taking the reins, and the Spaniard says he enjoys a good working relationship with the Iranian-American billionaire.
“It's an important day for the club when there is an important change in the structure of the club and the ownership,” Alonso said on Thursday.
“A few points. I have to thank the former owners for the work they've done. I was not here, but I know that they played an important role, and now that Behdad [Eghbali] is taking more control, almost full control, I think it's good that the main one is clear.
“I have very good relations with Behdad. He was the one that came to Madrid to explain me the project, to convince me, and we are working well together. As I mentioned, this is phase one that we have completed in the project of the squad, and it's good, and now we move on together.”
After a strong start to the season, Alonso says he and the club are aligned as they look to get Chelsea challenging for major trophies again following a tumultuous campaign last year.
The former Real Madrid boss is adamant, though, that it will take time to turn things around after the Blues finished 10th in the Premier League last season.
“That's why we are here, to get into that position, knowing the competition that we have, but for sure the ambition of the club, the potential of the club, the dimension of the players, where we are, we know where we want to be, we know that everything takes time, but the ambition for that is very clear.”
