Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly is set to reduce the time he spends at the club at the end of a campaign in which more than half a billion pounds was invested on new signings only for them to finish in the bottom half of the league table.
Boehly and a group also featuring the US-based Clearlake Capital investment fund will celebrate one year as owners of the club next week – but it has not turned out as planned.
After sacking Thomas Tuchel, the appointment of Graham Potter as manager did not work out and their form has tailed off further with Frank Lampard in charge to ensure the club will finish in its lowest position for 29 years.
- Ten Hag sends warning to new Man Utd owners over avoiding Chelsea disaster
- Chelsea’s Mykhaylo Mudryk scolded in viral video after filming elderly man at gym
- Jamie Carragher names the two teams that will challenge Man City next season
According to Bloomberg, Boehly had been spending about 50 per cent of his time on Chelsea but with key appointments in place he now plans to dedicate around 20 per cent to the club.
He had stepped down as interim sporting director in January, with Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart hired for a joint-role that will decide recruitment at Stamford Bridge.
It had always been Boehly’s intention to delegate once the new ownership had settled into the role after their £2.5bn purchase of the club from Roman Abramovich last year.
In a recent event at Stamford Bridge the LA Dodgers minority owner conceded “mistakes had been made”.
And details of his remarks were leaked shortly after the event and he is not believed to have elaborated on which mistakes in particular.
Yet a number of missteps relating to the team’s performance are clear – beginning with falling out with Tuchel and hiring Potter to a five-year deal having paid £20m to Brighton so he could be hired.
The Lampard decision has also backfired, while doubts have been raised around some of the signings made.
In total, 16 players have arrived since last summer, with Aubameyang among the most questionable as the club still went through the campaign without a centre forward.
Decisions to sign players to long contracts of up to eight years, in order to spread the repayment of transfer fees and satisfy financial fair play rules, may also complicate the club moving forward.
