Clearlake Capital make Chelsea announcement amid Todd Boehly disagreement over Potter’s future

The £4.25 billion takeover of Chelsea led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital has been named Deal of the Year at the 2022 Private Equity International awards.

Boehly and Clearlake fought off competition from many other bidders in the process last year after the club was put up for sale following the UK Government’s sanctions decision to place sanctions on former owner Roman Abramovich as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

Chelsea was eventually bought for £2.5 billion plus £1.75 billion in committed investment into the club over the next 10 years.

It has been a rocky season for Chelsea so far under the new ownership. A managerial change, a whole load of new signings, a brand new sporting department, and not performing well in the Premier League which has seen current head coach Graham Potter come under increasing pressure.

After their May 2022 arrival, Clearlake have confirmed they are the recipients of the Deal of the Year Award in EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) at the 2022 Private Equity International awards.

The private equity firm reacted to the news on Twitter, writing: “Clearlake is proud to announce that our investment in Chelsea FC was awarded Deal of the Year in EMEA in the PEI 2022 Awards.”

Chelsea’s big project off-the-pitch is currently the new stadium plans. It was confirmed the options Chelsea have amid hopes of staying at Stamford Bridge, with the ‘most likely’ outcome right now being a demolition job and rebuilding the stadium.

Meanwhile, the future of head coach Potter is splitting opinions in the Chelsea hierarchy. He is claimed to have a fight on his hands to convince many senior figures at the club that he has the type of authority required to lead the club in the long term.

Boehly disagrees and is one of his biggest supporters, as it stands, keen to keep faith in the 47-year-old despite the disastrous results which have seen Chelsea slump to 10th in the Premier League and lose their last three games.

The coming days, weeks and months could be defining for Chelsea’s plan moving forward, both on and off the field. One thing is for certain, the sale of Chelsea has certainly been recognised as a success with this award.