Chelsea are ‘paranoid’ about Todd Boehly issue, ‘it’s creating a bad atmosphere’
Chelsea have become paranoid over an issue surrounding their billionaire owner Todd Boehly.
Boehly took control of the West London club in 2022, and since then they have spent more than £2billion on player signings.
Chelsea were recently charged by the FA with 74 alleged rule breaches relating to payments to agents between 2009 and 2022 when Roman Abramovich was in power.
However, current owner Boehly is also in hot water with the authorities, regarding a completely different situation.
Chelsea have serious ‘ticket tout issues’
Chelsea have been questioned over ticket tout issues by the Premier League, as Boehly is the director of reselling site Vivid Seats, and supporters are unhappy with the current situation.
Everton’s former chief Keith Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that the club are “paranoid” about the problem.
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted that the root cause of the ticket tout issues is the size of Stamford Bridge, as it only has a 40,000 capacity.
Wyness added that the whole situation is contributing to a “bad atmosphere” at Chelsea’s home games.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Well, I think we’ve got to look at the root cause of this. Stamford Bridge has a capacity of around 40,000.
“When you’re looking at West Ham at 60,000, Spurs at 60,000, then of course there’s going to be a bigger demand for tickets, particularly in West London, as obviously Chelsea are still the top team in West London.
“We know that there’s been talk for many, many years about building a new stadium or improving Stamford Bridge, et cetera, but still the fact remains there’s only 40,000 seats, so there is a big issue around that.
“I know from another contact who dealt with Chelsea recently and was offering a new programme to them, they were absolutely paranoid about anything that could be seen as touting in any issue or resale of tickets, and that’s something that obviously came from Todd Boehly and his issues at the end of last season.
“So there is a paranoia around this. It’s even got to the stage where people are asked to make a phone call to the club if they feel that the people next to them have got touted tickets. So it’s creating a very bad atmosphere.”
Chelsea eye centre-back signing
Meanwhile, Chelsea are interested in signing Ronald Araujo and could land his services if Barcelona continue to struggle financially.
The Blues’ centre-back woes have been on display for all to see this season after they chose not to sign a new player in the position over the summer despite Maresca‘s demands.
Levi Colwill is out for the campaign with an ACL tear, while the likes of Wesley Fofana, Tosin Adarabioyo, Benoit Badiashile and Josh Acheampong have each had their own injury concerns in recent weeks.
Now, Chelsea are targeting Araujo in the hope of solving their defensive issues.
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