Todd Boehly's call from Chelsea star's reps to confirm 'impossible' stance
Chelsea owner Todd Boehly was given a baptism of fire not long after purchasing the club in 2022. And it was thanks to Romelu Lukaku, whose agent wasted no time informing the new chairman his client would in no uncertain terms be leaving the club that summer.
American businessman Boehly, 51, fronted the BlueCo consortium's successful £4.25billion take over of Chelsea three summers ago. The sale moved quickly after the previous owner, Roman Abramovich, was instructed by the British government to sell up due to his ties with Russian president Vladimir Putin, who started his invasion against Ukraine earlier that year.
What followed was months of uncertainty as one of the most controversial transactions in sporting history was carried out. The period is detailed in a new book, 'Sanctioned: The Inside Story of the Sale of Chelsea FC', which revealed representatives acting on behalf of Lukaku actually helped restore some normality.
"It is claimed the first call fielded by Boehly on Chelsea after his consortium had purchased the Premier League club came from the representatives of Romelu Lukaku," read the passage. "It was to inform him that the Belgium striker would not be staying at Stamford Bridge under any circumstances.
"Which can feel strange, the conversation suddenly going back to football matters after three months of complete chaos in the aftermath of Abramovich announcing his intention to sell his beloved Blues.
"But then, in a nice way, that call to confirm Lukaku's stance represented normality, which is all that Chelsea ever wanted after their very existence as a giant of the English game was threatened."
Lukaku got his wish, in a way, as he completed a season-long loan move to Inter Milan barely one week after Boehly was named chairman. The Belgian wouldn't leave on permanent terms until two years later when he joined Napoli for a fee of around £25million.
The episode gave Boehly a preview of just how quickly things can move in football. And the fact his takeover was confirmed during a summer transfer window simply expedited the process.
Boehly came to west London with considerable experience in leading sports organisations already. He owns a minority share in Major League Baseball outfit the Los Angeles Dodgers and bought a stake in NBA giants the Los Angeles Lakers back in 2021.
But neither of those deals were as big as his takeover at Chelsea, nor did they come under such contentious circumstances. The manner in which the Blues was forced to auction brought unwelcome attention, not to mention being an entirely unique kind of business deal.
But as author Nick Purewal notes, Lukaku's signal acted as a kind of equaliser following such a period of unrest. A reminder that despite the delirium that preceded Boehly's arrival, it was time to get back to footballing matters.
And after initially struggling to see much momentum from the team, Boehly's reign finally appears to be taking flight. A return to the Premier League's top four after two seasons away, as well as the Europa Conference League crown, holds promise for what's to come under the American.
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