Clearlake Capital takes full control of Chelsea after buying out Boehly and Walter

Clearlake Capital has completed its acquisition of the remaining stakes held by Todd Boehly and Mark Walter in Chelsea Football Club, securing full operational control of the Premier League club. Boehly, who served as chairman since the consortium's 2022 purchase of Chelsea for £2.3 billion, has stepped down from the role. Walter, who also held an equal 12.8 percent stake alongside Boehly, will depart entirely from the ownership structure. Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, the third minority stakeholder with an identical 12.8 percent holding, will remain as a partner with just over 10 percent ownership. The transaction gives Clearlake approximately 87 percent of the club, with the remaining shares held by Wyss.

The deal, reported to be valued at approximately £950 million for the combined stakes of Boehly and Walter, concludes a four-year co-ownership arrangement that had become increasingly strained over strategic disagreements. Sources indicate that tensions, first evident in 2024, centered on the club's stadium development strategy—specifically whether to redevelop Stamford Bridge on its existing site or relocate to a new ground elsewhere. Clearlake, led by co-founders Behdad Eghbali and José E. Feliciano, had previously held majority control at 61.5 percent since the 2022 takeover from sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich.

Chelsea announced that the transaction will not alter day-to-day operations, leadership, or strategy at the club. Since the consortium's takeover, Chelsea have won the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, though the club finished 10th in the Premier League last season and currently sit sixth after appointing Xabi Alonso as manager in the summer. The club has pursued a strategy of signing young players to long-term contracts and has invested substantially in training facilities at Cobham and academy development.

Boehly, who is also a co-owner of Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, acknowledged the transition diplomatically. Eghbali and Feliciano thanked Boehly for his "time and contribution," noting he will "always be a part of the Chelsea story and family." The sale occurs as Walter faces federal investigations by U.S. prosecutors and the Securities and Exchange Commission into companies within his business empire, with separate allegations relating to insurance fraud. Walter sold the Los Angeles Lakers for a record $12.5 billion last month, a year after acquiring a majority stake in the NBA franchise.