Chelsea have confirmed that majority shareholder Clearlake Capital has acquired the shares previously held by Todd Boehly and Mark Walter, giving the investment firm “full control” of the club.
Earlier this week, it was confirmed that Boehly had left the club, with some Chelsea fans celebrating the news and the prospect of no more headline-grabbing comments on football or eye-catching transfer activity.
With the international break bringing a pause to club football, why not take the opportunity to look back at Boehly’s first transfer window at Chelsea and see how his spending shaped the squad?
The rankings:
1. Marc Cucurella - £60m from Brighton
One of the Chelsea signings who proved to be a genuine positive, he became a constant in Maresca’s side and remained an important player beyond his time as manager. The left-back enjoyed an impressive final two years at Chelsea after a difficult start to life at Stamford Bridge following his move from Brighton.
He went on to represent Chelsea and win at the Club World Cup, Euro 2024 and the 2026 World Cup during his time at the club.
Where is he now: Left in the summer for £55 million to Real Madrid, so recouped the price tag and had his best years.
2. Carney Chukwuemeka - £20m from Aston Villa
Signed from Aston Villa for £20 million, reportedly as part of Chelsea’s efforts to navigate Financial Fair Play rules, although I believe that was the reasoning behind the deal. However, he never really managed to excel during his two years at Stamford Bridge.
He ranks relatively high on the list simply because Chelsea managed to make a profit on his sale, with Borussia Dortmund paying £25 million to take him back to Germany.
Where is he now: Remains at Dortmund featuring in and out, while also being an Austrian international
3. Wesley Fofana - £75m from Leicester
On reflection, the hype around Fofana proved to be too much when he signed from Leicester with the first of the young players targeted. The club paid £30million too much for much in hindsight.
To date, he has made 58 appearances for Chelsea with his career largely hampered by injuries.
Where is he now: Still at the club and featuring in Xabi Alonso’s team this season.
4. Kalidou Koulibaly - £33M from Napoli
The centre-back arrived with plenty of hype after establishing himself as one of Napoli’s star defenders, but his sole season at Stamford Bridge failed to live up to expectations.
He was sold to Saudi Arabia following the league’s rise and the huge investment being made to attract established European stars.
Where is he now: Koulibaly is still playing for Senegal and Al Hilal in the Saudi Pro League, where he looks set to see out the latter stages of his career while enjoying the financial rewards that came with the move.
5. Pierre Emerick-Aubameyang - £10.3M from Barcelona
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang arrived at Chelsea with plenty of expectation after reuniting with Thomas Tuchel, having previously enjoyed a successful spell under the German at Borussia Dortmund. However, his move to Stamford Bridge quickly turned sour, with the striker struggling to find consistency and scoring just three Premier League goals during his only season at the club.
Aubameyang was sold to Marseille after just one season, where he rediscovered his goalscoring form and reminded everyone why Chelsea had signed him in the first place.
Where is he now: Currently at Deportivo La Coruna where he has scored five goals in six appearances for the newly promoted team.
6. Raheem Sterling - £47.5m from Manchester City
Raheem Sterling arrived at Chelsea with plenty of expectation after Pep Guardiola sanctioned his departure from Manchester City, but things quickly went downhill. He scored 14 Premier League goals across his two seasons at Chelsea before being pushed out of the first-team picture under Enzo Maresca.
Underwhelming loan spells at Arsenal and Feyenoord effectively ended any realistic chance of a return to Chelsea, bringing a disappointing chapter to a close.
Where is he now: More likely to play for HMP FC than another Premier League after being released by Chelsea and being caught with nitrous oxide balloons and arrested for dangerous driving.
7. Denis Zakaria - £3m loan
Not much to talk about this one as only made 7 appearances in that spell.
Where is he now: Shocked to find out only 29 and playing at AS Monaco.
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