‘Chelsea set for freefall as Todd Boehly hit by sobering new blow’
Chelsea’s Stamford Bridge home is already well out of date for Premier League standards in terms of capacity and facilities.
The west London stadium holds just 40,341 fans and the Blues have long explored a move to a new ground – even during Roman Abramovich‘s ownership of the club.
Speaking to Bloomberg in March, Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly revealed it could be 2042 before a new stadium is built.
A move to a new site in Earl’s Court is widely reported to be under consideration, while a temporary move to Twickenham or Wembley has also been mooted while Stamford Bridge undergoes work.
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 – claimed he expects Chelsea to be left behind by some of their closest rivals in the coming years.
‘Boehly and Clearlake thought they could walk on water at Chelsea’, says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness insisted Boehly and Clearlake Capital thought they could “walk on water” and “underestimated the challenge of delivering a new stadium” when investing at Chelsea.
On the pitch, the Blues are well placed to return to the Champions League next season under manager Enzo Maresca.
However, Wyness warned Chelsea are set to slide down the all-important league table for matchday revenue as other clubs embark on stadium projects.
| Club (Stadium) | Capacity |
| Man United (Old Trafford) | 74,197 |
| Tottenham (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium) | 62,850 |
| West Ham (London Stadium) | 62,500 |
| Liverpool (Anfield) | 61,276 |
| Arsenal (Emirates Stadium) | 60,704 |
| Man City (Etihad Stadium) | 52,900 |
| Newcastle (St James’ Park) | 52,258 |
| Aston Villa (Villa Park) | 42,918 |
| Chelsea (Stamford Bridge) | 40,173 |
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “Lots of other clubs are going to be moving ahead of Chelsea, which is a big issue.
“Matchday revenue and stadium projects are crucial for attracting sponsors as well, it all comes hand in hand.
“I do think Boehly and Clearlake underestimated the challenge of delivering a new stadium. I think they thought they could make anything happen.
“They’ve tried some silly things on the player side, so maybe they thought they could walk on water.
“They are now seeing the reality.
“A stadium project in west London is really hard. It’s a sobering situation for the Chelsea board, and money can’t fix everything.
“It could certainly see them slip behind other clubs as they increase their matchday revenue.
“It’s going to become so important. Chelsea will drift down the table in this area.
“Everton have been at the bottom of the table for a while, but even after building a new ground – they are only seventh or eighth in terms of matchday revenue.”
Chelsea now frontrunners in Sane race
Meanwhile, Football Insider has revealed (13 May) that Chelsea and Arsenal are the frontrunners in the free transfer race for Leroy Sane.
The 29-year-old is out of contract at Bayern Munich next month and had looked set to pen an extension – but has switched agents and could now quit in the coming weeks.
It is believed the Germany international will also field interest from other overseas clubs but the most lucrative financial packages in European football will come from the Premier League.
For more Chelsea and exclusive news, follow us on Facebook or join our brand new WhatsApp Channel for instant updates to be sent straight to your phone.