Boehly and Walter have divested their stakes in Chelsea, allowing Clearlake to assume full ownership of the club

Clearlake Capital has acquired complete ownership of Chelsea following the sale of Todd Boehly and Mark Walter's stakes in the Premier League club. Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have divested their interests in Chelsea, transferring full control of the Premier League club to majority owner Clearlake Capital. Boehly and Walter were among the investors who collaborated with Clearlake to purchase Chelsea from Roman Abramovich for £2.5 billion ($3.3 billion) in May 2022. “Chelsea Football Club today announced that affiliates of Clearlake Capital Group, L.P. (‘Clearlake’) will acquire the ownership interest of Todd Boehly,” the club stated in an announcement. “In the course of the transition, Clearlake will also take over Mark Walter’s ownership interest, thereby gaining complete control of the Club.” Prior to the most recent agreement, Clearlake possessed 62 percent of Chelsea, while Boehly and Walter retained the remaining shares in conjunction with fellow investor Hansjorg Wyss. Wyss “will continue to be a significant stakeholder and partner in the ownership group,” the club stated. The financial terms of the deal remain undisclosed, yet reports indicate that Boehly and Walter valued Chelsea at £5 billion. The Financial Times reported that the duo were poised to receive £950 million in cash from the agreement, which places the club's valuation at approximately $5 billion, inclusive of debt. Boehly, who previously held the position of chairman at Chelsea, expressed that it had been “an honor to serve as chairman of Chelsea Football Club.” “I have appreciated my collaboration with Clearlake and the broader ownership group, as well as the joint decisions and investments we have undertaken to ensure both the short-term and long-term success of the Club,” he stated. “I am confident that Chelsea is poised for ongoing success under Clearlake’s leadership.” Chelsea concluded the previous season in 10th place in the Premier League and has appointed Xabi Alonso as their new manager. Boehly had reportedly voiced concerns regarding the club’s trajectory, especially in relation to recruitment, managerial choices, and proposals for a possible new stadium. Reports indicated that Boehly and Clearlake had made multiple attempts to buy each other out of Chelsea over the last two years. Boehly and Walter continue to be co-owners of the Los Angeles Dodgers baseball team, while Walter has recently sold his share in the Los Angeles Lakers basketball franchise for $12.5 billion. Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano, co-founders of Clearlake Capital, expressed their gratitude to Boehly for his time and contributions as Chairman. “There will be no alterations to the daily operations, leadership, or strategy at the Club,” the statement indicated.