sport news A look at what's next for Chelsea after Todd Boehly wins battle for £4.25bn ... trends now
Eighty-four days later and here we are. It seems an age since Roman Abramovich put Chelsea up for sale on March 2 under duress from the Government.
A consortium led by LA Dodgers owner Todd Boehly have won the battle to take over at Stamford Bridge in a deal worth £4.25billion.
Sportsmail's Sami Mokbel looks at what the future holds for Chelsea.
Todd Boehly's consortium have won the battle for the £4.25bn takeover of Chelsea
WHO ARE CHELSEA’S DECISION MAKERS?
Boehly will be the face of Chelsea’s new era. Much like his predecessor, the American is viewed as a pioneer in sports ownership. In layman’s terms: he isn’t afraid to spend — heavily.
That will be music to Chelsea fans’ ears. They have got used to Abramovich’s go big or go home approach for nearly two decades. Whether Boehly will commit to the same level of spending remains to be seen, but his stewardship at baseball team the LA Dodgers is proof that on the field strengthening will be a continuous priority.
Boehly will spend a large chunk of his summer in London in preparation for his first season at the helm, making himself available for talks with staff, including head coach Thomas Tuchel. It seems likely that he will lean on current chairman Bruce Buck and director Marina Granovskaia in the short term at least.
Indeed, perhaps the most important back-room staff decisions of the post-Abramovich era could be the retention of Buck and Granovskaia.
Bruce Buck and Marina Granovskaia could still have a part to play in the post Roman Abramovich era and their retentions might be one of US investor Boehly's biggest decisions
Eyebrows were raised while the pair were allowed to play such a significant role in the sale process, given that they were two of the sanctioned Russian oligarch’s closest aides.
Buck’s position is understood to have been a factor during the sales process. At least one of the rival bidding groups were considering replacing him as chairman. ‘Buck remaining as chairman was certainly a political pawn,’ said a source with close links to a rival bidder.
The expected election of Behdad Eghbali on to the new Chelsea board provides the most intriguing appointment.
Boehly (pictured) will have the position as the front man but Clearlake Capital, co-founded Behdad Eghbali, will own the biggest take in the club at 60 per cent of shares
Despite Boehly’s position as the front man, US financial firm Clearlake Capital, co-founded by Eghbali, will own the biggest stake in the club at 60 per cent of shares and 50 per cent of the voting rights. With that in mind, Iranian-born American Eghbali is sure to play a pivotal role in shaping the new look Chelsea.
Clearlake have no history in sports, so there is no evidence of how Eghbali might approach his stewardship. But you would imagine an investment firm aren’t keen on losing money.
Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss, who was the first to throw his hat into the ring for Chelsea, and Boehly’s fellow LA Dodgers co-owner Mark Walter will also have key positions at the club.
Daniel Finkelstein — a Conservative peer and a columnist for The Times — and music broker Barbara Charone will join in non-executive roles.
TRANSFER MARKET
The club’s new owners have committed £1.75bn worth of investment into the club over the next 10 years. A healthy chunk of
