Todd Boehly has pleaded for patience from Chelsea supporters amid the club’s ongoing struggles.
Since the Blues were taken over by a Boehly-led consortium in May 2022, they have spent more than £1billion in the transfer market as they’ve looked to revamp their squad.
However, the gigantic spend hasn’t been accompanied by on-field success, with Chelsea finishing 12th last season – their worst position in 29 years – while Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter were both sacked by Boehly and Co during the campaign.
Things haven’t got much better this time around, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side in 11th despite another significant outlay back in the summer.
Unsurprisingly, Boehly has therefore been on the receiving end of significant fan anger, with derogatory, expletive-laden chants often heard during games at Stamford Bridge.
Todd Boehly has broken his silence on Chelsea’s ongoing struggles under his ownership
Despite spending more than £1billion in the transfer market, the Blues are languishing in 11th
However, the American insisted he still has faith in the project, which has seen the club mainly sign younger players, and claimed the under-pressure Pochettino has an ‘unbelievable’ group at his disposal.
‘We just need to let the process develop and give them the time to go from being unbelievable individual players with great skills to fold into a team,’ Boehly told Forbes when breaking his silence on the club’s struggles.
‘The good news is people care so much. And the bad news is people care so much.
‘That leads to times when they’re frustrated with the team and the owners. I get that, but we just have to continue to stay the course.’
Boehly – who also discussed the Premier League’s unique commercial appeal among other topics in the interview – has been on the receiving end of increasing supporter frustration over recent weeks.
Boehly, alongside fellow co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano, were told last month by the Chelsea’s Supporters Trust in a letter that they are turning Chelsea into a ‘laughing stock’ as they spoke of ‘irreversible toxicity’, having tried to engage with chief executive Chris Jurasek to discuss their concerns.
The owners were warned that they are at risk of fan protests and one has already been launched, with a sticker campaign depicting Boehly, Eghbali and Feliciano as clowns now spreading.
‘The current feeling amongst Chelsea supporters is at its lowest since the early 1980s,’ read the letter.
‘A significant number of supporters that we speak to are quick to express concerns that the lack of any public-facing vision from the new ownership has led to an overwhelming sense of helplessness, frustration and deep concern.
‘The current mood among supporters is critically low and cannot be ignored. The feeling that the club has become a “laughing stock”, both on and off the pitch, is growing.
Boehly said under-pressure boss Mauricio Pochettino has ‘unbelievable players’ at his disposal
Chelsea fans have expressed their anger at Boehly and his fellow co-owners in recent times
‘The CST regretfully believes that we are close to a significant shift in supporter opinion that could result in irreversible toxicity,’ they added. ‘Unless the situation improves, this seems likely to manifest itself in more targeted chanting, especially at televised games.’
The letter also outlined fans’ frustration at increased prices for tickets, programmes and food on matchdays, especially when the club has been so liberal in its spending on players.
Chelsea chief executive Chris Jurasek responded with a letter of his own, defending the level of the club’s communication with its supporters and claiming increased revenues are necessary for the Blues to compete with their rivals.
Despite their difficult campaign, the Blues remain just four points off the final European place in seventh, with Pochettino’s side returning to action on Thursday when they host Man United.
