All is not well at Chelsea, that much is clear.
Last week’s bombshell revelation that there is a serious rift between the two main groups of the club’s ownership has been followed up by a series of pieces going into detail on what’s gone wrong and why – and there’s none more in-depth than the Athletic’s combined effort today, bringing in contributions from all across their network of writers.
Three issues pushing Chelsea’s owners apart
Their long read boils the disagreements between Todd Boehly’s group and the Clearlake Capital group into three key categories.
Firstly is a “fundamental cultural difference in how [Chelsea] should be run,” with both parties believing the other has “sought to unduly influence sporting decisions.” It seems that Boehly is more hands-off, despite being the face of the operation to begin with. Eghbali on the other hand wants to micro-manage every detail.
Secondly the decision to sack Mauricio Pochettino has been seen as a major tangible turning point which started to expose the issue above. Boehly and his side seemed more keen to persist with Pochettino, while we heard right from the start that it was Eghbali turning up to meetings “armed with stats” to demand improvement – and ultimately the manager’s sacking.
Thirdly, a more practical issue driving a wedge between them is to do with Stamford Bridge. No progress has been made on redeveloping the stadium or finding a new site. It’s not clear which side wants what here, but clearly for both parties it’s an added frustration that colours all other issues.
The Athletic are also the first to mention a meeting that took place a month ago where both parties decided to “explore their options” in terms of buying each other out. What will come of that, we don’t yet know…