XABI ALONSO has welcomed the end of Chelsea’s boardroom civil war.
Behdad Eghbali and his Clearlake Capital group have completed a buyout of Todd Boehly and business partner Mark Walter in a deal reported to be worth almost £1billion.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has welcomed the end of the club’s boardroom civil war Credit: Getty Images – Getty
Behdad Eghbali and his Clearlake Capital group have completed a buyout of Todd Boehly Credit: Alamy
Alonso, 44, thanked Boehly, 52 and Walter, 66, for their work since the BlueCo consortium’s takeover in 2022. But the new Blues boss is happy now to be serving one master.
The Spanish tactician said: “It’s an important day for the club when there is an important change in the structure of the club and the ownership.
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“I know they played an important role and now that Behdad is taking more control, almost full control, 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 to me the project, to convince me and we are working well together.
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“This is phase one that we have completed in the project of the squad and now we move on together.
“It is good with Behdad and with the sporting directors that we are working together to take the decisions. It starts moving, everything. I have to thank the former owners for the work they’ve done.”
The buyout by Eghbali and co-founder Jose Feliciano will change little or nothing in the day-to-day running of Chelsea.
Eghbali has been the main man at Stamford Bridge since January 2023, overseeing every aspect of how the Blues are run.
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Boehly’s departure means there are no longer internal obstacles at Chelsea Credit: 2026 PA Media
But Boehly’s departure means there are no longer internal obstacles to Clearlake and Eghbali making big decisions about the long-term future, including the much-delayed plans for a new stadium.
The American businessman became the public face of the BlueCo regime soon after the May 2022 takeover from Roman Abramovich — despite having a stake of just 12.8 per cent, compared to Clearlake’s 61.5 per cent.
His title of club chairman, tendency to wear a baseball cap and willingness to give interviews floating ideas like a North v South Premier League All-Star game, made it easy to latch on to him.
Boehly and fellow businessman Walter brought something to the table Clearlake did not have — experience of running successful sports teams, most notably baseball’s LA Dodgers.
But after a spell as sporting director in the summer 2022 transfer window — with mixed results — Boehly took a back seat and Eghbali was at the wheel for both football and non-football issues.
As Alonso revealed, it was Eghbali who travelled to Madrid to talk him into becoming the sixth permanent boss of the BlueCo era.
And it is with Eghbali he interacts regularly, including when the billionaire financier visits the dressing room after games.
Boehly backed the appointment of Alonso. But he and Eghbali clashed on a number of issues, on and off the field, including the sacking of manager Mauricio Pochettino in 2024.
But since the autumn of that same year, it was clear they were not going to be able to work together in the long term.
Matters came to a head in the summer when Walter came under pressure from a probe by the US authorities into his business affairs.
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He denies any wrongdoing. But with Boehly’s five-year term as chairman due to finish at the end of the season, it was a good time to part ways.
As JattvibeSport revealed, the impasse over for a new 60,000-seater stadium complex was a key factor.
Boehly and Eghbali broadly agreed on what Chelsea needed but their visions differed in detail.
And neither was willing to pump in more money and take on more debt to fund a project in which the other would still have a significant say.
The Blues still face significant challenges externally, as they wait to see if their preferred site in Earl’s Court becomes available.
But everyone in the boardroom will now be pulling in the same direction. With no Boehly around to take any credit or blame, it is Eghbali who will be steering the ship — and under more pressure than ever to deliver success.
