Analyzing Chelsea’s Awful First Year Under Boehly and the Opportunities It Provides for Youngsters
When Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly purchased Chelsea Football Club in 2020, they made a statement of intent and ambition – they wanted to make this club one of the best in Europe. One year into their project, it is clear that there has been a dramatic failure to meet those lofty ambitions. This season, Chelsea have confirmed a bottom-half finish in the Premier League under their third manager of the campaign – leaving many supporters questioning what went wrong?
Under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, Chelsea had become one of the most successful clubs in English football. However, with his departure came an influx of new talent that was supposed to bring more success. The club spent almost £600 million on new players and were expected to compete for major honours once again – but it simply didn’t happen. Instead, what ensued was arguably one of the worst seasons ever for a Premier League team owned by such illustrious owners.

So why did things go so wrong? For starters, there has been too much instability at Stamford Bridge – with three different managers coming in over a single season. This lack of consistency has led to confusion amongst players and fans alike; leading to poor results on the field. Furthermore, many of the high-profile signings have failed to live up to expectations; with some being sent out on loan or reportedly looking for moves away from London already.
The fact is that nobody expected this dramatic collapse at such a prestigious club like Chelsea; but now that it has happened, it presents an opportunity for some young players within the squad who may not have got opportunities before. Players like Billy Gilmour, Hudson-Odoi and Tammy Abraham could be given chances to step up and perform amid all this chaos – potentially leading them into first-team regulars if they take their chances well enough.
The future does look uncertain for both Chelsea and their new owners – with little signs that any drastic improvements will come about anytime soon. Despite this though, there could still be some light at the end of this very dark tunnel; particularly if these youngsters can make their mark on Stamford Bridge next season when wearing the iconic blue Chelsea jersey 2023/24 design . If they can manage to do so then perhaps there will be some hope yet that Clearlake Capital and Todd Boehly’s project can be saved from its current state of disarray.