Who is the Current Chelsea Owner: Ultimate Guide for All Chelsea Owners

Chelsea Football Club might be based in London, but they are one of the most popular clubs not just across England, but globally. While the last few years have been a little hard for the supporters, the couple of decades that preceded it were full of success, which led to the club becoming one of the biggest and most recognisable franchises across the sporting world.

In 1904, Gus Mears acquired the Stamford Bridge athletics stadium in Fulham with the ultimate objective of turning it into a football ground. Mears was interested in creating his club that would play at Stamford Bridge stadium. The name Chelsea FC was chosen at the end, as a club named Fulham was already in existence at that time.

Since its formation, the club has shown remarkable growth and is making extra efforts every day to be the best football team in the entire world. Today at SportsDunia, we look at the ownership situation at the club – who owns Chelsea, who has owned the club throughout their history, and how each era of such ownership was for the club. Let’s find out the list of Chelsea owner from 1905 to the present:

Chelsea FC Brief History

Chelsea Football Club was founded back in 1905, but their early successes only came in the 1950s and 1960s. Another few weary decades after that, we even saw relegation to the second division in the 1980s. But the 1990s saw the Blues fight back and establish themselves as a top-flight side once again, even winning a few cup competitions and signing some well-known players. It would all change in the early 2000s, though, as the club entered its most successful era of all time. Trophies arrived in hoards as Chelsea went on to win everything there is to win within football.

Although the last couple of years have been a significant fall-off from that standard, the side looks like they are rebuilding again. In total, Chelsea have won six league titles, eight FA Cups, five League Cups, and four FA Community Shields. Internationally, they have won the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup twice each, and the FIFA Club World Cup once. In terms of overall trophies won, Chelsea is the fifth most successful club in English football.

Also Read: Know All About Real Madrid Owner, His Net Worth and Family

Chelsea Owners List

Owners	Tenure
Gus Mears & Family	1905 – 1982
Ken Bates	1982 – 2003
Roman Abramovich	2003 – 2022
Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjorg Wyss	2022 – present

Gus Mears and family

It was businessman Gus Mears who started the club in 1905. In the formative years of Chelsea Football Club, success was elusive. Despite gaining promotion to the first division in their second season, the club struggled between the top two tiers in their early days. Although they established themselves in the first division during the 1930s and were known for signing star players, consistent success remained out of reach. He was the first Chelsea owner in history.

However, they did manage to reach the FA Cup finals in 1920 and 1932. The club went on to win its first league championship in 1954-55 for the first time ever. But it was followed by a stretch of lack of success. The club faced financial difficulties throughout the 1970s and 1980s, leading to a period of instability.

Ken Bates

In 1982, Chelsea were struggling financially. Businessman Ken Bates acquired the club for a nominal fee of £1 from Brian Mears, a descendant of the club’s founder and becmae Chelsea owner. The club faced difficulties during the early years of Bates’ ownership, but gradually recovered.

Prior to the club’s relegation in 1988, Chelsea had secured consecutive top-six finishes. The club reached the 1994 FA Cup final, where it was defeated 4-0 by Sir Alex Ferguson’s Manchester United. In 1996, the club appointed Ruud Gullit as manager. Gullit guided the club to a 2-0 victory over Middlesbrough in the 1996 FA Cup final, ending a 25-year trophy drought.

Roman Abramovich

Then came Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich and ushered in the most successful period in the history of the club. He bought the club for £60 million in June 2003. It is said it was done on orders by Russian President Vladimir Putin, something which was later refuted. Becoming the Chelsea owner with a motive to uplift the club and succeeding in making though.

Abramovich immediately made his mark on the club. He invested £100 million in new players and appointed Jose Mourinho as manager, replacing Claudio Ranieri. Mourinho arrived at Chelsea after leading FC Porto to the UEFA Champions League title, and he was widely regarded as one of the most promising young managers in world football.

Mourinho’s first spell with Chelsea was a resounding success. He led the club to two consecutive Premier League titles in the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons, as well as the FA Cup in 2007 and the League Cup in both 2005 and 2007.

Abramovich’s ownership of Chelsea was marked by a revolving door of managers and a relentless pursuit of trophies. Despite early dismissals of José Mourinho and Avram Grant, the club achieved significant success, culminating in the Champions League final in 2008.

Under various managers like Carlo Ancelotti, Roberto Di Matteo, and Thomas Tuchel, Chelsea established itself as a dominant force in English and European football. Notable achievements include the 2012 and 2021 Champions League titles, as well as multiple Premier League, Europa League and FA Cup wins. Abramovich’s ownership was characterized by a willingness to invest heavily in players and facilities, transforming Chelsea from a mid-table club into a consistent contender for major honors. For all those wondering who owns Chelsea FC after Roman Abramovich sold the club, the answer is Todd Boehly. Let’s find out who he is.

Boehly – Clearlake

After Russia attacked Ukraine, Abramovich’s ties to Putin were questioned and he was forced to sell the club off to Todd Boehly, Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter and Hansjörg Wyss purchased the club in May 2022 for £4.25 billion. In the period that the club has been owned by them, it has looked completely bereft of any sort of planning. The owners reportedly do not have an agreement on decision making and Chelsea have suffered massively on the pitch.

They also have the most ridiculous transfer strategy in football, wherein they have spent over a billion dollars trying to sign each and every talented young player, to the extent that they have stockpiled them. Whether this approach pays off in the future remains to be seen. Todd Boehly is the current Chelsea FC owner alongside Clearlake Capital, Mark Walter, and Hansjorg Wyss.

Also Read: Crystal Palace owner: Who Owns Crystal Palace football club?

FAQs