Things have not been plain sailing for Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital as Chelsea owners.
Of late, there has been plenty of success on the pitch. Chelsea are currently third in the Premier League table, just six points behind leaders Arsenal, and managed to win a couple of trophies last season.
Off the pitch, the Stamford Bridge faithful will also feel that the club have just made real progress there. On Friday, The Chelsea Chronicle exclusively revealed that Oracle are set to become Chelsea’s new front-of-shirt sponsor.
However, supporters should not be too quick to praise Boehly and Co for their imminent deal with the American multinational software firm.
Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali look on during Chelsea FC v Manchester United FC - Premier League
Photo by Crystal Pix/MB Media/Getty Images
Boehly and Behdad Eghbali have been Chelsea owners for more than three years now. They are top businessmen who have had more than enough time to use their expertise and connections to land Chelsea a multi-year front-of-shirt sponsor.
Yes, certain factors have complicated their search for one, such as a lack of Champions League football. And when they did have something lined up, the Premier League blocked it.
In June 2023, The Athletic reported that the Premier League denied Chelsea permission to sign a shirt sponsorship deal with Paramount Plus amid concerns that it could cause problems with the league’s broadcast partners.
Short-term deals with Infinite Athlete and DAMAC softened that blow, but by this point, you would have expected Chelsea to have secured something more long-term.
Oracle are now likely to be the ones who help the Club World Cup winners out there. But again, while Boehly and Eghbali were new to football, business is their field. The two owners and the directors whom they have put in charge to find a front-of-shirt sponsor should be really disappointed with how this search has gone.
Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly looking serious
Photo by Justin Setterfield/Getty Images
Chelsea’s biggest failure on the pitch under Todd Boehly
Chelsea, of course, have also had their disappointments on the field, including their 1-0 defeat to Liverpool in the 2024 Carabao Cup final.
The trophy was there for the taking, with Jurgen Klopp having been forced to put out an extremely young side on the day.
Nevertheless, the Reds were still able to come out as victors thanks to a Virgil van Dijk header late in extra time.
Chelsea were absolutely crucified after the game as Gary Neville described the Blues as “billion-pound bottlejobs”.
It has to be the lowest moment in the Boehly-Clearlake era at Chelsea so far.