‘Todd Boehly is preparing to sell Chelsea after stadium news’
Chelsea have long been exploring a potential rebuild of Stamford Bridge or a move to a new stadium at Earl’s Court.
However, speaking to Bloomberg, Chelsea chairman Todd Boehly revealed it could be 2042 before a new stadium is built.
“It’s years in the making,” said Boehly. “When we originally bought the club, we agreed initially that we had 15 or 20 years to figure this out but it is a big project in a really interesting city like London where there’s a lot of constituencies that have an opinion.
“Obviously the number one constituency for us is our fan base and what’s going to be the best for Chelsea. I think everyone recognises that a club as big as Chelsea should have a stadium that reflects the size of the club and ultimately that’s going to be a strategic advantage.”
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 Boehly’s comments are akin to him “putting up a white flag” and admitting he cannot deliver a new stadium.
Boehly ‘puts up white flag’ over Chelsea stadium plans, says Wyness
Speaking on the new edition of Football Insider’s Inside Track podcast, Wyness claimed Boehly is unlikely to be the Chelsea owner in 2042 – with the US billionaire likely to try and turn a profit on the club by putting stadium plans in place.
Stamford Bridge holds 40,173 fans and will be the Premier League‘s 10th-biggest ground when Everton‘s Bramley Moore Dock stadium opens for the 2025-26 campaign.
| 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 |
Wyness claimed any new owner will do their due diligence on why it has been so hard to move Chelsea into a new stadium.
He told Football Insider‘s Inside Track podcast: “A new stadium in 2042 – you doubt very much that Boehly would own the club at that time.
“This is almost like him putting up a white flag and saying he can’t do a new stadium project.
“In a sense, putting plans and planning permission in place for a new stadium would increase the value when you sell the club.
“That may be what Boehly is looking at, bringing some marginal gains on his investment.
“But of course, nothing is as good as actually having the stadium in place.
“Any new owner will be looking very hard at why it has taken so long to get it together.”
Chelsea brace for Nkunku offers
Meanwhile, Football Insider has revealed (9 May) that Chelsea are expecting offers for wantaway forward Christopher Nkunku this summer.
Despite Nkunku’s lack of action for the Blues, sources say his stock is still high across Europe and a number of clubs are expected to swoop for his signature.
Chelsea are confident of recouping their £52million outlay on the France international.
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