In the last year, Chelsea F.C. ‘s ownership transferred from Russian owner Roman Abramovich, to American owner Todd Boehly. Boehly, an American billionaire from Connecticut, and part owner of the LA Dodgers, gained ownership of Chelsea for a sum of 5.25 billion dollars. With a vision for success, Boehly has spent more money on players than any team ever before, yet the performances from his squad still lack luster. Boehly’s lack of knowledge in a sport that is new to him is bound to raise questions, and his position as owner is likely to be challenged. 

Since Todd Boehly’s purchase of the club in 2022, a whopping 675.5 million dollars have been spent on improving the squad, per sportingnews.com. This outrageous number has broken the international record for the most amount of money spent in a year. In just the January transfer window alone, Chelsea’s spending amounts to more than 350 million dollars, another record. Some of Chelsea’s signings have been made to improve the starting lineup, while others have been added to the roster to improve the depth of the squad. Signings such as midfielder Enzo Fernandez and center-back Wesley Fofana have amounted to almost half of this grand total; however these price tags don’t always come with success. 

Sitting dead in the middle of the most prestigious league in the world is Chelsea. With all of their spending and all of their changes, the lack of points coming from the wins column remains. Chelsea have dropped points to last place Southampton, and seventeenth place Leeds United, with an absence of points against teams at the top of the table as well. With all of the spending that Todd Boehly has initiated, the results coming in beg the question of whether or not a team can be built solely on money. 

Last Saturday Chelsea took on sixteenth place West Ham United, a team low on confidence and wins. With more than 200 million dollars of new signings starting the game for Chelsea, the only thing that was granted to them was a point for a close 1-1 draw. Doubts upon the players, the manager, and the owner have arisen, and continue to challenge a sport that is starting to be dictated by money. Clubs such as Newcastle United in England and Al Nassr in Saudi Arabia have been completely transformed by the amount of money their respective owners have been willing to spend. However, over the years, clubs such as Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have struggled to find form with similar help from their owners. With a lack of success coming from Chelsea, it is clear that soccer can be changed by money; however, the success of its teams is not decided by this. While the English Premier League is far from over, Chelsea’s performances are yet to improve, and a looming absence from European play is bound to make Boehly reconsider his involvement in a sport that is new to him.