Todd Boehly will personally oversee Chelsea’s transfer drive this summer after agreeing with Thomas Tuchel that a rebuild is needed to return them to the top.
The American plans to spend much of the summer in the UK to ensure his new club are in a position to challenge Manchester City and Liverpool from the start of next season.
Boehly has made it clear he wants Chelsea to be in immediate contention for the Premier League title, and is prepared to give Tuchel all the backing he needs to make that happen.
The pair are believed to have met since the season ended last weekend, with Tuchel frank about what is required. But sources close to Boehly insist he was already aware of the issues facing him in his first summer in charge after watching Chelsea win just once in person since launching his £4.25billion buyout.
Jules Kounde is expected to be the first signing under him, at a cost of £68m, with Tuchel also interested in a host of other defenders including Josko Gvardiol from RB Leipzig, Villarreal’s Pau Torres and Jose Gimenez from Atletico Madrid.
Leipzig forward Christopher Nkunku is another player Tuchel likes and believes could add a new dimension to his attack. He is also a huge admirer of Robert Lewandowski.
As well as having to fill the defensive void left by Antonio Rudiger and Andreas Christensen, attack is the area both Tuchel and Boehly believe needs to be addressed if Chelsea are to close the gap on City and Liverpool.
While Boehly will rely on transfer chief Marina Granovskaia during this window – with the director expected to stay on in the immediate term – he is also set to use the summer to draw up a new recruitment strategy going forward.
There is an acceptance that will be required to best support Tuchel in his bid to seriously challenge Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp. There is an anticipation that Boehly will look to follow the analytics-led model deployed by the LA Dodgers baseball team, which he co-owns, to maximise the transfer market.
President of baseball operations Andrew Friedman is the mastermind behind the Dodgers’ success, which saw them win the World Series in 2020, and Boehly may look to install a similar figure at Chelsea.
It is clear the new owner plans to be very hands-on in the job, with Jonathan Goldstein, who is part of his consortium, also set to play a prominent role despite not being named as part of the board.
This summer Boehly is likely to make as much as £200m available to Tuchel, although that will be partly funded by sales. Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech are potential departures, while there is uncertainty surrounding the future of Jorginho. Romelu Lukaku’s representatives also want talks once the takeover is complete.
That is now a formality after the Portuguese Government and European Commission gave their approval to Roman Abramovich’s bid to sell the club.
Chelsea are preparing an announcement of new ownership imminently to kick off the new era, with Boehly and Tuchel eager to commence a busy summer of recruitment.
