By Federico Calabrese
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Index
Todd Boehly’s Chelsea Advances in the Club World Cup. Chelsea, under Todd Boehly, is moving forward in the Club World Cup: last night, the Blues defeated Palmeiras 2-1, securing a spot in the semifinals. Enzo Maresca’s side has already showcased some of its new signings: the transfer window hasn’t even officially opened, yet the English club has already spent around €300 million, continuing the trend since Boehly acquired the majority stake in the club.
Who Is Todd Boehly?
Born in Virginia in September 1973, Todd Lawrence Boehly is the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Eldridge Industries. Founded in 2015, the LLC is an American holding company based in Miami with offices worldwide, investing in various sectors including insurance and asset management. Over time, Boehly also entered the sports world, and in 2022, he led a consortium—alongside Clearlake Capital—to acquire Chelsea FC.
Big Spending: A Stark Contrast to PSG
Since arriving in London, Boehly has made his approach clear: relentless investment to make Chelsea immediately competitive among Premier League giants. A striking data point that shows Boehly’s financial commitment is the comparison with PSG’s owners: since 2022, Chelsea has spent around €1.8 billion, while the French club has spent about €850 million.
His first signings included Wesley Fofana (around €80 million from Leicester), Marc Cucurella (€65 million from Brighton), Raheem Sterling (€56 million from Manchester City), and Kalidou Koulibaly (€38 million from Napoli). Over time, the stakes rose: Enzo Fernández was signed from Benfica for €121 million, and Mykhaylo Mudryk joined from Shakhtar for €100 million.
Boehly-land: From Moises Caicedo to the Brighton Axis
With every transfer window, Chelsea’s spending has climbed. In 2023/2024, the Blues bought Moises Caicedo from Brighton for €133 million, while their most expensive signing in the most recent season was Pedro Neto from Wolves for €60 million.
A curious fact: in the past three years, Chelsea has paid around €300 million to Brighton, accounting for the transfers of Marc Cucurella (€65.3M), Graham Potter (€25M compensation), Moises Caicedo (€133M), Robert Sanchez (€22M), and Joao Pedro (€63M).
Although Boehly had somewhat eased his spending last season, Chelsea is once again active in the summer window. Recent arrivals include Delap from Ipswich for €35M, Essugo from Sporting for €23M, and Sarr from Salzburg for €14M. In the past few days, Joao Pedro (from Brighton) and Kendry Páez (from Independiente del Valle for €10M) have also joined. Not to mention Jamie Gittens, signed from Dortmund for €65M.
Is It Worth It?
Many of these big-money signings have failed to meet expectations. Of the most expensive players, only Enzo Fernández and Moises Caicedo have consistently played key roles in Chelsea’s starting XI. Mudryk, for instance, has been a major disappointment. Much of Boehly’s spending seems aimed at developing young talent, hoping they’ll grow into future stars.
So far, Chelsea’s only trophy in the Boehly era is the Europa League, won this year under Maresca. However, it’s clear that—after all the market investments—the American businessman hopes his club can soon compete for the Premier League crown.
By Federico Calabrese
