New Chelsea owner Todd Boehly will make major signings his summer priority
- Planet Sport writer
- 10 May 2022
Todd Boehly will become the new Chelsea owner when the US magnate’s consortium completes the £4.25bn Stamford Bridge club purchase.
The American was seen at Stamford Bridge on Saturday and will have a clearer understanding of the task he has after the Blues surrendered a two-goal lead to Wolves.
Since the UK government put sanctions on Russian owner Roman Abramovich, Chelsea have been unable to work on transfers and they are expected to lose defenders Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christiansen who are both out of contract.
According to reports, Boehly wants to bolster Thomas Tuchel's defence with just Malang Sarr, Trevoh Chalobah and Thiago Silva his only options at the back.
And nothing signals the need for strengthening their centre backs than conceding 10 goals in four Premier League games at Stamford Bridge.
Boehly has not been shy in splashing the cash during his time as Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner. In 2021, he signed Trevor Bauer for $102m on a three-year deal while Mookie Betts penned a $365m, 12-year contract.
Another player whose future is up in the air is Romelu Lukaku. The forward joined from Inter Milan in the summer for $135m but has failed to live up to expectations.
Tuchel is keen on keeping the striker though and believes he can become integral to their aims for next season.
How did Boehly win the race?
Boehly fought off competition from Sir Martin Broughton and Steve Pagliuca to strike the deal to buy Chelsea.
The Ricketts family-led bid had put together a compelling submission, only for late internal differences over their consortium's composition to lead to the Chicago Cubs owners withdrawing their candidacy.
Britain's richest man Sir Jim Ratcliffe's last-minute bid that was submitted outside of the formal process was considered, but ultimately rejected by the Raine Group, the New York bank handling the sale process.
The path now remains clear for Boehly and his winning consortium to complete Chelsea's sale well in advance of the May 31 deadline, when the Blues' temporary licence expires.
Boehly could even wrap up the deal to take charge before the end of the season, with Chelsea hosting Watford on May 22 to close their Premier League campaign.
