Why Chelsea co-owner Todd Boehly has just been spotted meeting Donald Trump amid £775m masterplan

However, in at least two out of the three categories, Chelsea’s American ownership regime haven’t had much success since the £2.5bn takeover in May 2022.

The most straightforward area to address is the money. As well as the cost of acquiring Chelsea from Roman Abramovich, they have taken on £500m worth of debt and pledged a further £1.75bn investment.

In return, they have received… zilch. That isn’t at all unusual in the Premier League, mind. The game simply isn’t consistently profitable in its current form.

Only six top-flight clubs in England generated profits in 2023-24.

Chelsea lead the way: Premier League clubs’ profits and losses for 2023-24

Misleadingly, Chelsea are part of that contingent but only thanks to intra-company asset sales – the women’s team, Stamford Bridge hotels etc – that generated a huge artificial profit during 2023-24.

That surplus was an accounting fiction to satisfy the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR). No money actually changed hands and, in real cash terms, the Blues’ lost around £200m in the season.

Significantly, the Premier League’s fair market value assessment, which is being spearhead by the Nielsen group, has not yet cleared that deal, so there could still be a points deduction or fine in the pipeline.

European football’s governing body meanwhile have rejected it outright. Chelsea are in discussions with UEFA about a settlement for breaching their own, distinct set of financial control rules.

In terms of an emotional return, it would be hard for anyone watching Chelsea’s soul-sapping 0-0 draw with Brentford on Sunday to argue that BlueCo have made a markup in that department.

Stress is the pervading emotion at Stamford Bridge, perhaps with a side serving of resentment given the ongoing disagreement between Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali about their masterplans for the club.

In terms of power and influence, however, it’s a different story for Boehly’s bloc and Clearlake Capital alike.

There is a gravitas and a validating effect to owning one of Europe’s most famous clubs. That clout is rarely an end in and of itself – the end goal for football’s hyper-capitalist class is almost always more money.

We’ve seen this in microcosm with the row over Boehly’s links with ticket resellers Vivid Seats, as well as his involvement with former front-of-shirt partner Infinite Athlete.

Chelsea, their cultural capital and their ripeness for commercial partnerships with football-adjacent business are in this sense a funnel for returns in other areas of Boehly’s business empire.

His outpost in West London has also been a convenient launch pad for his part-takeover of The Hundred cricket franchise Trent Rockets, which went through in February.

But owning sports teams can be a gateway for far grander aims. As Boehly himself has just proven, it can get you in a room with the leader of the free world.

Club World Cup on the agenda? Todd Boehly and Mark Walter meet Donald Trump on LA Dodgers duty

Contrary to how he is occasionally characterised in the British press, Boehly is considered one of the sharpest minds in sports business on the other side of the Atlantic.

Alongside fellow Chelsea co-owner Mark Walter, he owns a significant stakes in NBA franchise LA Lakers and Major League Baseball’s LA Dodgers.

The LA Dodgers, where Boehly owns a 20 per cent stake, won MLB’s World Series in October. That earned them an invite to the White House, where Walter and Boehly met with US president Donald Trump.

Boehly can be seen directly Trump, to the president’s left during the ceremony.

“This wonderful owner [Mark Walter], one of the greatest owners in sports, by the way, from everything I’ve heard,” the president said, “along with your other compatriots, it’s a great team of owners.”

“People come from all over – the biggest people, the richest people, the most powerful people – and they go into the Oval Office and they just stare and say: ‘Oh, wow’.

“They all have beautiful offices, offices that are the best in the world, in many cases,” Trump continued, before introducing Walter, who spoke briefly to congratulate his team.

As it happens, Boehly has also donated to Republican candidates for the House of Representatives in the past.

And with a US-hosted Club World Cup on the horizon, links with America’s political class will likely strengthen as Chelsea prepare for the new, expanded tournament.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino met with Trump, who he calls a close friend, earlier this year, presenting him with the Club World Cup trophy.

The Club World Cup’s TV deal – and, by extension, the prize money pot from which Chelsea are set to benefit – is being financed by DAZN.

Around £775m will be on offer in total, with Chelsea expected to benefit to the tune of up to £97m if they go all the way in June-July tournament.

Chelsea’s group opponents for the Club World Cup

With Chelsea gearing up for only their third assault on the Club World Cup in their history, this is what the group stage draw for the 32-team competition looks like.

Chelsea were due to kick off their campaign with a clash against Club Leon on 16 June, but the Mexican side have been expelled from the Club World Cup based on FIFA’s dual ownership rules.

Leon have appealed FIFA’s verdict but, if that process is unsuccessful, Chelsea will face the winner of a play-off between another Mexican side, America, and Los Angeles FC.

Unusual ticket strategy emerges as Chelsea prepare for Club World Cup

Seen as a dry run for the international World Cup in 2026, the Club World Cup this year is implementing a left-field ticketing system to generate interest in the tournament.

FIFA have confirmed that buying 20 tickets for Club World Cup matches will entitle fans to purchase one ticket for the World Cup final at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

But with tickets for the Club World Cup final coming in at a minimum of £240, it’s not exactly the kind of offer that is realistic for bedrock Chelsea fans or indeed any other team.

In the group stage, Chelsea will play at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta and twice at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field.

The new-fangled competition has the support of John Terry and Didier Drogba, who are both doing FIFA ambassadorial work at present.

Enzo Maresca has also talked up the Club World Cup in public, though he may privately harbour concerns about player welfare and workload.

Those anxieties are shared by FIFPRO, the player’s union, who have launched a legal challenge against FIFA in coordination with the European Leagues organisation about the match calendar.

The tournament also initially struggled to attract sponsors, though brands like Coca-Cola, Hisense and the Bank of America are now all on board.

There is scepticism in some corners meanwhile that the DAZN media deal, which is effectively being funded by Saudi Arabian sovereign wealth, is good value for money.