Premier League1 hour ago2 minute read

Clearlake takes full control of Chelsea as Xabi Alonso looks ahead

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has welcomed a major ownership change at the club ahead of their upcoming clash with Brentford.

The EagleEyeOdds deskWritten from the match data, checked against our model before it goes out

A new era at Chelsea

Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso has welcomed a major shift in the club's ownership structure. Outgoing owners Todd Boehly and Mark Walter have sold their stakes, allowing Clearlake Capital to take full control of the London club. Both Boehly and Walter previously held a 12.83% stake. Clearlake Capital, which already owned 61.5% of the club, now has complete ownership. Swiss philanthropist Hansjörg Wyss, who also owned a 12.83% stake, will remain a partner in the ownership group.

The consortium originally bought Chelsea in 2022 for £2.5 billion, with an additional £1.75 billion committed to investment. That sale happened after former owner Roman Abramovich faced sanctions due to alleged ties to Russian president Vladimir Putin following the country's invasion of Ukraine.

Alonso reacts to the change

Alonso thanked the outgoing owners and described the transition as an important day for the club. He said that it is an important day when there is a major change in the structure and ownership of the team.

He expressed optimism about working with Behdad Eghbali, who leads Clearlake Capital alongside Jose E. Feliciano. Alonso revealed that Eghbali was the one who traveled to Madrid to pitch the project to him. The manager said that phase one of the squad project is now complete, and he is happy that the leadership is clear. Alonso explained that the ambition of the club is to work to get into a position to compete for major titles.

Squad news and injury updates

Looking ahead to the next match, Alonso remained cautious about the fitness of his squad. Forward João Pedro recently withdrew from the Brazil national team squad ahead of the upcoming international window due to an injury. However, Alonso has not ruled him out for Friday's game against Brentford.

The manager stated that he will wait until after the final training session to make a decision on his lineup, preferring to be cautious. He conceded it is possible that João Pedro plays for Chelsea even though he withdrew from international duty. In other news, player Cole Palmer has received a temporary suspension from Twitch after streaming EA FC 27 early.

What it means for the next game

Brentford vs Chelsea (Premier League, Fri, 18 Sep): Brentford win 38%, draw 25%, Chelsea win 37%; expected goals 1.58 to 1.56. Our safest pick: Over 1.5 goals.