Chelsea Owner: Who owns Chelsea?

Chelsea Football Club might be based in London but they are one of the most popular clubs not just across England, but globally. While the last few years have been a little hard for the supporters, the couple of decades that preceded it were full of success, which led to the club becoming one of the biggest and the most recognisable franchises across the sporting world.

Today at SportsDunia we look at the ownership situation at the club – who owns Chelsea, who has owned the club throughout their history and how each era of such ownership was for the club.

Brief history

Chelsea Football Club was founded back in 1905, but their early successes only came in the 1950s and 1960s. Another few weary decades after that even saw relegation to the second division in the 1980s. But the 1990s saw the Blues fight back and establish themselves as a top flight side once again, even winning a few cup competitions and signing some well known players. It would all change in the early 2000s though, as the club entered its most successful era of all time. Trophies arrived in hoardes as Chelsea went on to win everything there is to win within football.

Although the last couple of years have been a significant fall off from that standard, the side look like they are rebuilding again. In total, Chelsea have won six league titles, eight FA Cups, five League Cups, and four FA Community Shields. Internationally, they have won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and the UEFA Super Cup twice each, and the FIFA Club World Cup once. In terms of overall trophies won, Chelsea are the fifth most successful club in English football.

Ownership History

Interestingly enough, throughout their history of over 100 years, Chelsea have only had 4 different ownership regimes. Here is a list of them.

Owners	Tenure
Gus Mears & Family	1905 – 1982
Ken Bates	1982 – 2003
Roman Abramovich	2003 – 2022
Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss	2022 – present

Gus Mears and family

It was businessman Gus Mears who started the club in 1905. In the formative years of Chelsea Football Club, success was elusive. Despite gaining promotion to the first division in their second season, the club struggled between the top two tiers in their early days. Although they established themselves in the first division during the 1930s and were known for signing star players, consistent success remained out of reach. However, they did manage to reach the FA Cup finals in 1920 and 1932. The club went on to win its first league championship success in 1954-55 for the first time ever. But it was followed by a stretch of lack of success, The club faced financial difficulties throughout the 1970s and 1980s, leading to a period of instability.

Ken Bates

In 1982, Chelsea were struggling financially. Businessman Ken Bates acquired the club for a nominal fee of £1 from Brian Mears, a descendant of the club’s founder. The club faced difficulties during the early years of Bates’ ownership but gradually recovered.

Prior to the club’s relegation in 1988, Chelsea had secured consecutive top-six finishes. The club reached the 1994 FA Cup final, where it was defeated 4-0 by Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. In 1996, the club appointed Ruud Gullit as manager. Gullit guided the club to a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the 1996 FA Cup final, ending a 25 year trophy drought.

Also Read: Crystal Palace owner: Who Owns Crystal Palace football club?

Roman Abramovich

Then came Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and ushered in the most successful period in the history of the club. He bought the club for £60 million in June 2003. It is said it was done on orders by Russian premier Vladimir Putin, something which was later refuted.

Abramovich immediately made his mark on the club. He invested £100 million in new players and appointed Jose Mourinho as manager, replacing Claudio Ranieri. Mourinho arrived at Chelsea after leading FC Porto to the UEFA Champions League title, and he was widely regarded as one of the most promising young managers in world football.

Mourinho’s first spell with Chelsea was a resounding success. He led the club to two consecutive Premier League titles in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, as well as the FA Cup in 2007 and the League Cup in both 2005 and 2007.

Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea was marked by a revolving door of managers and a relentless pursuit of trophies. Despite early dismissals of José Mourinho and Avram Grant, the club achieved significant success, culminating in the Champions League final in 2008.

Under various managers like Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo, and Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea established itself as a dominant force in English and European football. Notable achievements include the 2012 and 2021 Champions League titles, as well as multiple Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup wins. Abramovich’s ownership was characterized by a willingness to invest heavily in players and facilities, transforming Chelsea from a mid-table club into a consistent contender for major honors.

Boehly – Clearlake

After Russia attacked Ukraine, Abramovich’s ties to Putin were questioned and he was forced to sell the club off to Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjord Wyss purchased the club in May 2022 for £4.25 billion. In the period that the club has been owned by then, it has looked completely bereft of any sort of planning. The owners reportedly do not have agreement on decision making and Chelsea have suffered massively on the pitch. They also have the most ridiculous transfer strategy in football, wherein they have spent over a billion trying to sign each and every talented young player to the extent that they have stockpiling them. Whether this approach pays off in the future remains to be seen.

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