By Kieran Maguire

31st Oct, 2023 | 7:12pm

Kieran Maguire: Todd Boehly in 'complete shock' as Chelsea hit by new twist

It will be a ‘complete shock’ to Todd Boehly that he cannot have complete control over Chelsea and Stamford Bridge.

That is the view of finance expert Kieran Maguire, who exclusively told Football Insider that Boehly will be frustrated that his stadium plans cannot go ahead without approval from the Chelsea Pitch Owners.

Chelsea Pitch Owners released a statement last Tuesday (24 October) reiterating that any stadium move will have to be approved by shareholders rather than the club’s board.

Boehly has repeatedly stated that he intends to invest in Chelsea’s stadium since his takeover of the club in 2022.

However, it has not yet been decided whether the current Stamford Bridge should be expanded or an entirely new stadium built.

Maguire explains that Boehly not being in complete control of the stadium plans will be a frustration as American franchise owners are used to dictating terms.

“Most American franchise owners are used to dictating terms, including moving franchises from city to city to suit the needs and the will of the owner,” Maguire told Football Insider’s Sean Fisher.

“This will be a complete shock to Todd Boehly culturally, and he will be struggling to get his head around it.

“He’s completely unaware of the concept of fan power and the importance of fans to matches.

“In America, they’re viewed as wallets to be drained.

“So Boehly won’t like the release put out by Chelsea Pitch Owners and they will have to put forward a very, very persuasive case to convince them to move stadiums.

“I think this is an opportunity for the Chelsea Pitch Owners to represent the interests of Chelsea fans because the big fear among Chelsea fans is that a new stadium will result in a ticket price rise.“

In other news, ‘Pochettino out’ – Fans react to Chelsea bust-up as latest footage drops