A closer look at new Chelsea controlling owner Todd Boehly

Todd Boehly’s simple refusal to countenance any distractions has proved central to the Connecticut billionaire’s successful Chelsea takeover.

Some 85 days after Roman Abramovich officially put the Blues up for sale, the Boehly consortium has finally fended off all challengers to take the Stamford Bridge helm.

Where rival bidders were either forced to fight fires or found themselves veering off course, Boehly never allowed his steely focus to waver.

The laser targeting of both Eldridge Industries co-founder Boehly and Clearlake Capital co-founder Behdad Eghbali has formed the winning consortium’s bedrock.

Boehly and Eghbali enjoy a firm friendship and close working relationship, and both men are characterised as humble and low key – at odds with their soaring status in financial circles.

That calm and affable yet focused and professional approach won favour with those carrying out the Chelsea sale, through an often fraught and intense process.

Boehly and Eghbali were able to prove the robustness of their consortium to both Chelsea chiefs and the top brass at Raine Group, the New York merchant bank overseeing the sale.

California investment giants Clearlake will now assume Chelsea’s majority shareholding, even though Boehly will become controlling owner.

Only the strength of relationship between Boehly and both Eghbali and Clearlake has allowed the set-up to be given the green light by the sellers, it is understood.

Boehly crucially carried out due diligence on a Chelsea bid in 2019, affording a sizeable advantage amid a majorly expedited sale process.

Chelsea’s sale could have been expected to take some nine months under normal time pressure. Instead, the Blues and Raine raced through a purchase agreement in less than 10