Todd Boehly has suggested that the club's owners could split if they can't agree on the future of Stamford Bridge. In May 2022, Clearlake Capital, owned by Behdad Eghbali and José E Feliciano, and the American Billionaire joined forces to buy Chelsea from Roman Abramovich.
The consortium bought the West London outfit for £4.25bn, making the Blues the most expensive football club in the world. An official statement revealed that Boehly and Clearlake paid £2.5bn in shares while £1.75bn was set aside for investments in Stamford Bridge, Kingsmeadow, the men's team, the women's team, the academy and charity funding.
The new owners have heavily invested in new players and staff, but redeveloping the stadium on Fulham Road has proven to be difficult. So, with that being said, football.london has rounded up everything you need to know about the future of Stamford Bridge.
Boehly provides fresh update on new Chelsea stadium plans
In a recent interview with Bloomberg, Boehly suggested that he and the club's majority shareholder, Clearlake Capital, could split if they can't agree on the future of Stamford Bridge. Clearlake Capital have a 61.5 per cent stake in Chelsea, with the remaining 38.5 per cent is split equally between Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter.
The former said: "We have to think long term about what we’re trying to accomplish. We have a big stadium development opportunity that we have to flesh out. That’s going to be where we’re either aligned or we ultimately decide to go different ways. The status quo is something that’s just fine.
"We’ve learned from each other and we’re going to be able to work it out any which way. If you look at the evolution of the team, we’ve been aligned on what we’re trying to do and what we’re trying to build. It’s a team that’s young, it’s a team that’s got long contracts.
"All these things were new. In order to do all these things we’ve done, it’s because we’re aligned. We’re executing on a plan that ultimately will have Chelsea where it belongs. We’re sitting in the top four of the table."
Chelsea Pitch Owners PLC dilemma
The Chelsea Pitch Owners PLC (CPO) is a company that holds the freehold of Stamford Bridge stadium and the name Chelsea FC. Over 23,000 individual shares have been sold to fans, former players and staff since it was set up by Ken Bates in the 1990s.
In 1997, CPO leased the ground to Chelsea FC for a period of 199 years. No one person can unduly influence the company and, in the event of the club wanting to move, they either have to surrender the name Chelsea FC to CPO, or to obtain their permission to do so.
Ultimately, the future of the Blues rests in the hands on the CPO. In January 2025, the CPO chairman addressed the future of Stamford Bridge in an official AGM statement: "To re-state the obvious, only CPO shareholders can have a vote on any proposal regarding the future of Stamford Bridge.
"No share, no vote. Tell your family, friends and colleagues what we are about. Encourage them to buy shares and, if you are able, please buy more shares yourself."
'There's no plan for Chelsea to Earl’s Court'
In September 2024, the Earl’s Court Development Company (ECDC), the company managing a multi-billion pound redevelopment project on the land not too far from Stamford Bridge, insisted that there is no plan for Chelsea to relocate.
A report claimed that the Blues had held talks with real estate developers Delancey, who own the 40-acre site in West London, and Transport for London to explore the possibility of moving. This was quickly disproved by the ECDC in an official statement: "There is no plan within our plans for Chelsea FC to relocate to the Earl’s Court site.
"We have a fully detailed design, shortly to be registered with both local authorities, which prioritises the delivery of thousands of homes and jobs, culture and open space through a well-designed and considered masterplan which has evolved over four years of engagement.
"This will see development commence in 2026 with the first residents and occupiers moving in from 2030. This is, and will remain, our primary focus."
Boehly reveals preliminary Chelsea plans
Speaking at the Bloomberg Qatar Economic Forum in May 2024, Boehly revealed the club are working on plans to improve the matchday experience for Chelsea fans. He said: "Well, we're working on this. What's the stadium plan going to do?
"I think we've got a really unique spot in London. So many people can walk to come to a Chelsea game. We're basically in the heart of West London. But, you know, we only have a stadium that seats about 40,000 and to be able to upgrade the quality of the stadium and the size of the stadium is really a priority for us over the course of the next decade.
"It's already started. You have to have a lot of conversations with a lot of constituencies because you're in the middle of London. The good news is you're in the middle of London. But the bad news is you're in the middle of London."
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Chelsea flag prior the UEFA Champions League Quarter Final Leg One match between Chelsea FC and Real Madrid at Stamford Bridge. (Photo by Jose Breton/Pics Action/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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