Chelsea FC set to be sold to American investors

The long saga of the Chelsea FC ownership transition may finally be coming to a close. One of the biggest soccer clubs in the world may be going to another American owner, just like Manchester United and Liverpool FC.

This all started with the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the following sanctions of Russian assets. In England, where Chelsea FC is located, that spelled a lot of trouble for Russian owner Roman Abramovich, who has ties to Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

Abramovich tried to denounce all ties to Putin and distance himself from the Russian government, but ultimately, it didn’t matter and he was forced to sell the prestigious soccer club. Under his ownership, Chelsea won five Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues, including last year’s Champions League. For a club that was in financial ruin before Abramovich bought it, that is a very successful tenure.

Now, a consortium led by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Todd Boehly has won the bidding war for the club and it is expected to be finalized later in May. The deal is expected to be worth around US$5.25 billion. Abramovich has stated all his profits from the sale will go to charitable causes.

Regardless, the drama around this situation has been lingering over Chelsea for a while and it appears there is finally an end in sight. Abramovich was never shy to spend money on the stadium and players in order to maximize his team’s success. It appears Boehly will follow in that path.

In the MLB, the L.A. Dodgers have had the highest payroll over the past two seasons and have no issues spending money. In the Premier League, money wins titles and it looks like Boehly is ready to play that game.

All in all, this tiring story is finally over and Chelsea looks to have found a good successor. Boehly has had a lot of success with the Dodgers and will hope that translates to the Premier League. This story echoes John Henry, the owner of the Boston Red Sox and Liverpool FC. If Boehly can match the success of Henry in the Premier League, this will be a resounding success.

For now, though, Chelsea will be happy this is all over. They can now solely focus on soccer and building a title team for next season. They are in third right now, which is respectable, but they will be hoping to compete with Liverpool and Manchester City right now. If Boehly spends the money, that is a real possibility. However, only time will tell.

More sports news