Chelsea to 'salvage' PR situation with move for 'heavyweight' chairman
Chelsea need to headhunt an experienced football chairman to lead the next stage of their project.
That is according to former Everton chief executive Keith Wyness, speaking exclusively to Football Insider, who believes that the Blues need someone with genuine footballing "credibility" to step into Todd Boehly's shoes.
This comes after Clearlake completed their deal to buy out Boehly and his ally Mark Walter, in a deal which has left Behdad Eghabli as the most powerful man at Stamford Bridge.
Wyness believes that Eghbali will be less "knee-jerk" than Boehly in terms of his leadership style, but he would still like the club to get a real football head in charge.
Chelsea's ownership situation has faced major scrutiny in recent years, but Wyness feels that their decision-making process will now be far more "streamlined" without Boehly involved.
Recent reports have suggested that the West Londoners will not appoint a new chairman in the immediate future, but Wyness is sceptical as to how long that will last.
New Chelsea chairman would 'salvage' PR situation
Everton’s former chief Wyness – who served as CEO at Goodison Park between 2004 and 2009 and now runs a football consultancy advising elite clubs – believes that bringing in a new chairman with football experience would help Chelsea to "salvage" their PR situation.
Fans have become increasingly frustrated with the Blues' ownership in recent years, and there have even been protests towards their rule at times.
Speaking on the latest edition of Football Insider's Inside Track podcast, Wyness explained how the club need some who the fans can "respect" to lead them forward.
"It really was a complex situation that Clearlake were there and probably the bigger investor. And yet Boehly was the chairman. So it didn't quite make sense and probably would have led to more friction," he said.
"Chelsea has not been a happy ship at board level for the last few seasons, so I think it makes sense for Boehly to go, and it may just streamline things a little bit better than they have been before.
"I guess what I'm thinking about is that private equity guys don't make great chairmen. They often get a bit carried away with some of the statements they're making.
"I don't think Eghabli is quite as knee-jerk as Boehly was. What they should be doing is trying to bring in a heavyweight chairman who's got football knowledge, experience and credibility, and let him be the power behind the scenes.
"That's really what Chelsea should be doing because only then can they be sure that when they make public pronouncements, a chairman is going to understand what he's talking about.
"If I were advising, that's what I'd be saying: let's go and find somebody the fans will respect as well. I think it would really help Chelsea a lot in terms of trying to salvage some of the PR that they've lost over the last couple of years."
Stefan Borson 'surprised' by Clearlake buy
Former Manchester City financial advisor Stefan Borson told Football Insider last week that he is "surprised" that Clearlake were willing to pay a "premium" to secure Boehly and Walter's shares.
The football finance expert does not believe that the club has "materially improved" enough since Boehly bought in back in 2022 for him to charge a high price.
However, early suggestions after the takeover deal are that both Boehly and Walter have made a significant profit on their initial investments.
Their exits mark the end of one chapter in Chelsea's ownership, but Wyness believes that another change of direction is still needed.