Chelsea's Cobham training centre
A general view of Chelsea's Cobham training centre(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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Chelsea Football Club have opened pre-application talks with Elmbridge Borough Council over their proposed plans to expand their current training ground.
Clearlake Capital now have full control of the club following Todd Boehly and Mark Walter's decision to sell their stakes last month and the Chelsea owners are already planning future moves. As a decision whether to expand on Stamford Bridge or move to a new site is yet to be made, Behdad Eghbali and Co. are looking at modernising the club's current training facilities.
Chelsea's current Cobham base was built under former owner Roman Abramovich and while it was considered state of the art at the time, the Blues' rivals have surpassed them in terms of the level of their facilities.
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Ever since the Clearlake-Boehly consortium purchased Chelsea from Abramovich in 2022, an upgrade on their current training centre has been a priority. Chelsea's owners are now moving forward in their attempts to expand their Surrey-based home.
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It is worth noting that the talks are at an exploratory stage that tends to come before a formal planning application.
football.london have contacted Elmbridge Borough Council for a comment.
Chelsea's Cobham training ground was built in 2004 when Roman Abramovich owned the club
Chelsea's Cobham training ground was built in 2004(Image: Darren Walsh/Chelsea FC)
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As touched on above, Chelsea are also looking for a solution regarding their stadium. Sources close to the club say there are two options on the table: remain at the Stamford Bridge site, knock the current stadium down and build a new ground, or, alternatively, find a different site and build a brand-new home there.
A site in Earl's Court has been touted but that now appears unlikely, with Earl's Court Development Company (ECDC) recently confirming they have different plans for the land.
There was, at one point, talk of Chelsea conducting a stand-by-stand redevelopment of Stamford Bridge. That, however, has been ruled out by sources close to the situation.
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