sInce Todd Boehly and his consortium acquired Chelsea in 2022. The London Club employs a business model that is offensive, ambitious and confusing for many. Heavy investments in signatures – over 1 billion euros in the last three transfer windows – the goal is clear and to bring the club back to the top of European football. However, roads are not easy and not without contradictions.
One of the most striking features of this new era is the massive accumulation of soccer players. Chelsea currently has 55 professional players in the book. This is someone who breaks by all standards in European football. The population of this squad is also reflected in the club’s daily operations. Regular training sessions involve up to 30 players, which is a real headache for the coach.
In this context, Enzo Maresca took on the challenges in intelligence and group management. In his first season in charge, the Italian coach was able to bring Chelsea back to the Champions League thanks to a great season in the Premier League. However, his work was not limited to domestic tournaments. He also leads his teams to conference league finals, alternately leading athlete groups from two different groups of each competition.
2-team model
This double team was not only a logistical need, but also a strategy to motivate players on such a wide range of teams. Pellegrini’s pupil, Maresca, built two competitive groups without losing cohesion or tactical identity, intelligently dealing with the rotation.
Boehly’s business model relies on young signings, long contracts, more typical American sports, particularly the NFL, to build dominant long-term projects. However, not all moves work well. A combination of inexperience, lack of continuity and pressure leaves some big money signatures behind without justifying prices or forecasts.
The big question being asked in the UK, where more and more American investors are arriving, is whether this model is sustainable over the long term. The possibility of European conquest in the Champions League qualifiers and conference leagues could be a turning point for the Chelsea side, who want to return to the top, but it still needs to translate that financial muscle into a coherent sporting structure.
