It was perhaps appropriate that Chelsea decided the time to reveal their brand new American owners at a time more suitable to the United States audience.
Sixty-six-days after Roman Abramovich placed the club on the market, it was announced that at 1.37am UK time on Saturday that a consortium headed by LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly and supported by an Californian private equity firm signed a contract, managed by an New York bank, worth PS4.25bn.
The team has yet to clear the directors’ and owners test, or have the agreement ratified with government officials from the UK Government.
However, the process is not likely to create any major issues prior to the time livescore mobi Chelsea’s operating license – given for the club’s ability to continue operating after the approval of Russian Oligarch-owner Abramovich The licence expires on May 31st.
Then the real work begins. Apart from making Chelsea profitable and re-building the Stamford Bridge stadium, there are some significant problems to address in the short-term.
After Boehly has paid his P28m per month salary cost Boehly will need to determine which staff members are moving on and off and pray that the team doesn’t waste Champions League qualification.
In the wake of two months of unease the near future is an enormous challenge for the new owners of the club that the threat of crisis historically has was never far away.
Contracts for the sorting of contract for the key players, as well as the managers
The biggest issue at Chelsea will be a weakened playing squad that is expected to see half its central defence go out the door once contracts expire at the close of the season. This is which is where the club’s record signing Romelu Lukaku is on the bench and the academy’s graduate Mason Mount and Reece James are attracting attention from all over Europe.
That means that, after two months when new contracts could not be made due to the sanctions the club has imposed The new owners require individuals to be able to work swiftly.
What would a new director of football or a recruitment specialist be ready to hit the ground running to address the immediate issues? It’s unlikely. It could be better to keep the Technical advisor Petr Cech as well as Director Marina Granovskaia, the key contract negotiator, even though there is a chance of Abramovich’s legacy enduring.
There are reports that people like Granovskaia along with the chairman Bruce Buck may remain at the club. Buck is heavily involved in the process of selling the club together with American Investment bank Raine Group.
Boehly as well as his team are likely to have their own thoughts of who will run Chelsea in the near future and whether they will be the new director of football, however the players’ part of the team is in dire need of focus.
During the process of selling the head coach of the men’s team Thomas Tuchel and women’s boss Emma Hayes said they wanted to remain, however Tuchel especially will be cautious about what’s in store for the future when his team’s season is set to unravel after just one victory in their past five league matches.
The German is thought of as a benefit within the club and has two years remaining under his current contract. Hayes is the winner of his place in the Women’s Super League for a third consecutive season.
Sort out team Uncertainty
The uncertainty that has surrounded Chelsea in the last two months is partly due to the sale of the club however, it is not the sole reason for all of the problems.
Antonio Rudiger was offered an option to become the most lucrative livescore cz player in the club’s history prior to Abramovich being sanctioned. However, he is now set to join Real Madrid; the sidelining of PS98m signing Lukaku occurred shortly after he made an interview that was not approved during December.
In recent weeks, however, performance has been less than stellar. Tuchel has won his first Champions League, reached the FA Cup final and the top four teams in the Premier League in an extraordinary first season. In the last season, however the club has slid in the opposite direction.
Despite making it to an FA Cup final again, in which they’ll face Liverpool on Saturday however, their Champions League defence was unsuccessful at the quarter-final level, and qualifying for next season’s competition is not a guarantee.
All of this means that there are some important issues to be resolved.
Who will replace Rudiger and his centre-half counterpart Andreas Christensen, who has been reported to have signed a contract with Barcelona? Will that affect another defensive player, Cesar Azpilicueta, who has one year left on his contract but is also talking to the Catalan team? Would the club be willing to write off Lukaku’s huge cost, given that Lukaku’s appearance is not at all like Tuchel’s style of playing?
In addition, American winger Christian Pulisic seems to be discontent with his part-time role and the midfielders Jorginho as well as N’Golo Kante are set to begin the final year of their respective contracts.
It is clear that there is an urgent need for stability, but the club has to move swiftly to prevent further bumps on roads.
Boehly’s team, which has Chelsea supporters Daniel Finkelstein and Barbara Charone on board, seems to have a good idea of the issue that is needed to be addressed. It’s an entirely different issue.
Modify the transfer policy
Cutting down on a salary bill of PS28m each month is top of the list for a company that is owned through a private equity company, Clearlake Capital.
But the fact that they’ve sent Lukaku as well as goalie Kepa Arrizabalaga – who was a PS71m deal in the year 2018 on the bench may be a sign of the need for a transfer policy improvements. The frequent turnover of managers during the tenure of Abramovich can also be a source to make savings. One of the most shocking examples was when the demotion of former boss Antonio Conte cost the club PS26m according to their financial statements.
Abramovich’s decision to lend the club over PS1.5bn over the course of his 19-year reign is not likely to be replicated by the new owners, as that it was averaging loss of around PS900,000 per week, according to the expert on football finance Kieran Maguire.
He says that private equity companies like Clearlake tend to look to earn profit over five years. It is also understood that Chelsea have been assured that Boehly’s group will commit to the ownership of Chelsea for at minimum 10 years, and won’t pay dividends or management fees over that time.
“At Chelsea, it’s extremely unlikely that we’ll have a scattergun approach to player and manager recruiting under Abramovich,” says Maguire.
“Private equity firms are much more likely to adopt an approach that is based on data, and will likely to hire less expensive players to develop and possibly sell to for a greater price.
“So it’s going to be a shift in tactics, however Liverpool operate by the same principles and it hasn’t caused the club any damage. “
The stadium, its sponsors, and even the profits
Making money from managers and transfers will only take you in a limited way, but during the process, Boehly’s team must prove the way they intend to move Chelsea to the next level.
In the near term the negotiation of new sponsorships can allow for growth. Chelsea’s shirt sponsorship with the telecoms business Three will cost PS40m per year, and it will continue for one more season to last. Three as well as Hyundai both have suspended their agreements because of sanctions.
Maximising income from matches is also in the agenda, particularly because teams like Manchester United and Tottenham can be a PS40-50m better than Chelsea in the course of one year based on size of their stadiums According to Maguire.
Stamford Bridge’s capacity of 42,000 brought in PS67m in matchday earnings for the last time in its pre-Covid-19 season. However, Arsenal and Liverpool when they expand their capacity can generate revenues that are in excess of PS100m during a season.
The stadium’s reconstruction would have a significant cost but Boehly’s company has pledged PS1.75bn towards “investments for Stamford Bridge, the academy as well as the women’s team, Kingsmeadow as well as ongoing funding of Chelsea Foundation”. Chelsea Foundation”.
Boehly has talked about tokenisation of fans in the context of an approach to engage and possibly making money from supporters on various levels.
He also has mentioned the possibility of turning Chelsea into a global brand, and to increase its appeal across America. United States, building on the foundations of American youngsters who grew up viewing the Premier League on Saturday mornings.
The division currently includes eight teams owned or partly owned by Americans So there’s plenty of competition in the field.
How Chelsea stand out from their rivals and gain the advantages they’re required to be as exciting in the long run as it was in the current season.
