The owners of Chelsea have addressed their first year in command of the club in an open letter to fans.
In May 2022, Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital completed the purchase of the west London club.
On the men’s side, the first 12 months have been extremely difficult, costing two managers their jobs and leading to the club’s lowest points total (44), ever in the Premier League era, and a finish in 12th place.
The owners have now acknowledged there is still “a lot we can and will do better” in a statement to the public following the conclusion of the season.
“We pledged to fulfill our promise to your fans. We continue to be wholly dedicated to our club’s long-term sustainability and to keeping the commitment we made to you, they added in a statement.
“We take our responsibility to nurture Chelsea FC to its full potential very seriously. Everyone who works here is utterly committed to moving us ahead.
“Our men’s squad has undoubtedly had a dismal season; there is plenty we can and will improve upon. Our fans have shown unwavering allegiance to our team and players throughout these trying times by cheering them on around the nation and in Europe.
The club spent more than £500 million over the course of two transfer windows to put together a new-look squad, which will now fall under the purview of new manager Mauricio Pochettino.
The owners are certain that they have added “elite talent” and will soon be contending for prestigious awards once more.
“Despite all the difficulties of the previous year, we have hope for the future. We are excited to welcome Mauricio Pochettino as our men’s team’s head coach in July,” they continued.
“We are constructing a cutting-edge scouting, talent-identification, and recruiting infrastructure within our sporting department, led by Laurence Stewart and Paul Winstanley, which will assist us in identifying and transforming the team around elite talent, a squad capable of consistently challenging to win the Premier League, raise domestic cups, and compete and win at the highest level in European football.”
The women’s squad, on the other hand, achieved a domestic double under Emma Hayes, who missed part of the season after needing an emergency hysterectomy, adding a third consecutive FA Cup to a fourth successive Women’s Super League victory.
The owners said, “There aren’t enough good things to say about Emma Hayes, her backroom team, and the squad who have faced with difficulty, injury, and Emma’s absence.
“Their character and desire to win are unparalleled. We were also thrilled to learn that Sam Kerr had twice won the FWA Women’s Footballer of the Year award and that Emma had been selected the LMA’s WSL Manager of the Year.
