Chelsea's power battle clarified How Behdad Eghbali and Todd Boehly arrived at this conclusion

These days, Chelsea is often in the news. All of this is very different from the time that Roman Abramovich was the sole sheriff in the town and practically operated the club as a family business.

Just over two years have passed since the UK government compelled Abramovich to sell Chelsea, and a consortium of US-based investors has taken over as the club's manager.

Initially, the 13 percent owner of Chelsea, Todd Boehly, gave the impression that he was in command, despite the fact that the main owners, US private equity firm Clearlake Capital, held a 61.5 percent share.

Chelsea went on a spending binge in the summer of 2022, acquiring players like Raheem Sterling, Kalidou Koulibaly, and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, with Boehly serving as an inexperienced acting sporting director. Graham Potter took Thomas Tuchel's position as head coach.

Having co-founded Clearlake with Jose Feliciano, Behdad Eghbali appears to be very much in command currently after an almost overwhelming amount of transfers and a change of head coach.

Bloomberg has revealed that Boehly's effective sidelining has led to discussions between Eghbali and Boehly, Chelsea's principal owners, about buying each other out.
 
A hastily arranged marriage of convenience to purchase Chelsea now seems to be in disarray.

Do Boehly and Eghbali no longer get along?

Though they were never the closest of friends, Eghbali and Boehly seem to be getting along less now than when they initially came to Stamford Bridge.

Since they are both extremely successful, tenacious businessmen, it becomes sense that they would each have different opinions on how the club ought to be operated.

They maintained their unity in private talks until last year, but it's now evident that Boehly is wary of the team's new hiring approach and the lack of progress made on Stamford Bridge's renovation.

Nevertheless, Boehly is still heavily involved in the overall plan because all significant decisions at Chelsea need to be approved by Feliciano, Eghbali, and Boehly.

Right now, the best way to characterise the relationship between Eghbali and Boehly is as amicable and professional. Three weeks ago, before the first match of the season against Manchester City, Boehly went to the Clearlake box at Stamford Bridge.

Is Eghbali willing to stay or leave?

Clearlake and Eghbali are here to stay. They have not had any discussions on selling any shares, and they have no desire in doing so.

Clearlake currently seems fully devoted to Chelsea, and Eghbali has been setting the example. This season, he has attended all three Premier League games, and he was heavily involved in the transfer window recruitment strategy.

It is reasonable to assume that Clearlake will acknowledge that errors were made during the previous two years and that efforts and outcomes need to be improved. They would contend that Chelsea is once again on the correct track to contend for championships because they have implemented many of the necessary adjustments.

A new head coach, players, sporting structure, and commercial team have all been hired. It seems like everyone should be concentrating on providing both on and off the pitch right now. The important thing is stability. A power battle behind the scenes is not something that is desired.

Will Boehly sell his shares and walk away?

Boehly is not in charge, yet he is devoted to Chelsea. Although he has his own opinions about how a football team should be managed, the fact that someone else owns 61.5% of Chelsea means he will never be able to make the final decisions there.

If Boehly wants to sell his shares, Eghbali and Clearlake are willing to buy them. Given that Eghbali refuses to sell, it is hard to see how Boehly will win out.

Why are they all unable to get along?

This isn't a romantic comedy—this is modern football. Instead of buying clubs to create friends, foreign investors buy them to make money.

Should Eghbali and Boehly do have a falling out, this would not be the first or last instance of two extremely wealthy individuals having a disagreement about how to manage a company.

Naturally, Chelsea is more than simply a company, which is just one of the factors contributing to the high stakes.

Will Chelsea ever be silent again?
No. At Chelsea, when has it ever been quiet? It has never been silent, even though it wasn't always quite this noisy. Being one of the biggest teams in the world right now, Chelsea will always be in the media limelight.

Despite the negative perceptions, PR and communications experts will tell you that one benefit of working in club football is that there's always a new match around the corner. Instead of discussing what is occurring in the boardroom, fans would rather discuss what is happening on the pitch. As long as the team is winning, everything else is irrelevant.

Saturday's away match against Bournemouth is Chelsea's next match. Enzo, don't put any strain on yourself.