Chelsea potential ownership insight: Todd Boehly’s consortium

Hansjorg Wyss

While Boehly is seen as the frontman for this consortium at this moment in time, that hasn’t always been the case. In fact, it was the American’s partner, Hansjorg Wyss, who kick off the entire frenzy. His interview with Swiss outlet Blick in early March acted as a catalyst for interested parties to begin preparing their bids for the Blues. Abramovich had just announced he was transferring power to the Chelsea Foundation’s trustees when Wyss claimed that he had been offered the opportunity to take over the prestigious English club. This sent the football world into a panic and forced the Russian oligarch’s hand; he announced his intentions to sell just days after Wyss’ comments went public.

Despite this, there hasn’t been many additional comments from the Swiss billionaire since early March. He’s remained relatively quiet as he’s instead elected to simply show his financial support for Boehly. After all, Boehly is largely seen as the mastermind and leader of the group. Wyss is on board for his investment and the exceptional PR that comes with him.

Born in Switzerland in the mid-1930s, it didn’t take the now 86-year-old long to take his genius to the United States. Wyss founded Synthes USA (an American extension of the Swiss company Synthes) in 1977. He acted as the CEO and president for three decades until his resignation in 2007. Although he chose to step down, he still remained a chairman until the medical device manufacturer was sold to Johnson & Johnson in 2012 for around $20 billion (£15 billion).

Wyss is still involved with the medical field through his investments in both NovoCure and Molecular Partners. He is valued at $5.2 billion (£3.95 billion), which makes him the 553rd richest individual on the planet. Despite this, he has spent a lot of his time—and money—on philanthropy since selling Synthes. Forbes dubbed him “one of the most philanthropic people in the world” recently due to the billions he’s donated to numerous causes.

As noted earlier, Wyss’ involvement can only serve to strengthen Boehly’s bid for Chelsea. One of the biggest points of emphasis from the club under Abramovich has been its philanthropic efforts. The Blues have been at the forefront of a number of social movements, most notably the anti-Semitism movement and Say No To Racism. It goes without saying the club’s involvements with these campaigns would only continue to strengthen if Wyss is involved with the next takeover.