Chelsea Fans
Chelsea legend Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink has outlined what Todd Boehly’s consortium must prioritise at the club, following the Premier League’s decision to approve the takeover. In a statement released this evening (Tuesday), the Premier League confirmed their owners’ and directors’ test had been carried out and that the next step was for the club to work with the relevant governments in order to secure the licences needed to complete the takeover.
The League statement read: “The Premier League board has today approved the proposed takeover of Chelsea Football Club by the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Consortium. The purchase remains subject to the Government issuing the required sale licence and the satisfactory completion of the final stages of the transaction. The Board has applied the Premier League’s Owners’ and Directors’ Test (OADT) to all prospective Directors, and undertaken the necessary due diligence. The members of the Consortium purchasing the club are affiliates of the Clearlake Capital Group, L.P., Todd Boehly, Hansjorg Wyss and Mark Walter. Chelsea FC will now work with the relevant Governments to secure the necessary licences to complete the takeover.”
Even though the Blues have been one of the most successful clubs in Europe over the past two decades, Boehly’s consortium have a lot to sort out in the coming months and years – at least according to Hasselbaink that is.
Hasselbaink said: “There’s a lot to do. Chelsea needs a new stadium. 45,000 is not sustainable if you want to compete with the big boys, so they need to go to 60-70,000. They need to think about the training and development of players and getting that foundation right. Chelsea has a history of developing players and that needs to continue.”
The former Netherlands striker also admitted that the club needs to be active in the upcoming transfer market. With that in mind, he thinks that the new ownership must strengthen Thomas Tuchel’s defence.
Hasselbaink added: “Many of Chelsea’s defenders are getting older or have contracts that are expiring and will need to be replaced. Maybe Azpi [Azpilicueta] has another year playing week in week out, but if you’re not keeping Rudiger, Chelsea will need to bring in three to four defenders in a very short period of time. The squad needs to be balanced. A few need to go and a few need to come in. The new owners have several priorities that he needs to sort out.”
There’s clearly a lot to do but it’s a project fans, players and the owners can go through together as Chelsea embark on a new era in west London.
