‘We Know Where We Want to Be’: Alonso Hails Clear Chelsea Ambition as Clearlake Takes Full Control

LONDON — Xabi Alonso says Chelsea now have a “very clear” ambition as Clearlake Capital takes full control of the club and Todd Boehly’s tenure as chairman comes to an end.

The Premier League club announced on Wednesday night that Clearlake, headed by co-founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose E. Feliciano, had agreed to acquire the Chelsea stakes belonging to Boehly and director Mark Walter.

Boehly and Walter teamed up with Clearlake in 2022 to complete the purchase of Chelsea from Roman Abramovich in a sale that was mandated by the British government.

Clearlake previously owned 61.5 percent of Chelsea, with Boehly and Walter holding the remaining shares alongside Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss.

Chelsea confirmed that Wyss would “remain an important stakeholder and partner in the ownership group”.

The ownership change is understood to have significant financial implications. The Financial Times reported that Boehly and Walter were due to receive £950 million ($1.27 billion) for their combined stakes, while the transaction values Chelsea at around £5 billion including debt.

Chelsea subsequently outlined its objectives in a fresh statement.

“Our ambition is clear: to compete at the highest level, to win major trophies, and to build sustained success.”

For Alonso, who took charge on July 1, the change represents an important moment as he attempts to reshape the club.

“Thanks to the former owners for what they’ve done. I was not here, but I know they played an important role,” the Chelsea boss said ahead of Friday’s Premier League clash with Brentford.

“And now that Behdad is taking more control, almost full control, I think it’s good that the main one is clear.”

Alonso revealed that he has maintained a close working relationship with Eghbali, who was involved in persuading him to take the Chelsea job.

“I have very good relations with Behdad. He was the one that came to Madrid to explain me the project, to convince me, and we are working well together,” he said.

The former Real Madrid and Bayer Leverkusen coach stressed that Chelsea’s objectives would require time but insisted the club’s direction was clear.

“We know where we want to be, we know that everything takes time, but the ambition for that is very clear.”

Chelsea’s highest Premier League finish since the 2022 takeover came in 2024/25, when the club finished fourth. That season also saw the Blues win the UEFA Conference League and FIFA Club World Cup.

Alonso now faces the task of revitalising a squad that endured a 10th-place league finish last season.

Chelsea have collected seven points from their first four Premier League matches this campaign and currently sit sixth in the table.

Meanwhile, Boehly and Walter have also sold their stakes in Chelsea’s partner club, Strasbourg of France’s Ligue 1, giving Clearlake full control.

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