Chelsea's boardroom clash: The rising power of Boehly in Eghbali feudChris Beattie, Editor

From the perspective of this column, Todd Boehly's team has made a strong start in the PR battle. Boehly showed his support for Mauricio Pochettino and advocated for the continued inclusion of Raheem Sterling in the management plans. Unlike rival Behdad Eghbali and the investors from Clearlake Capital, Boehly has personally invested his own funds into the club, demonstrating his commitment to its success.

And there's no sarcasm here. If what Boehly's confidants are whispering to the press is correct, then he definitely emerges as the best option to lead Chelsea long-term. And he'll do it hands-off. Again, those championing Boehly's cause insisting he's one to hire the right experts, step back, and let them get on with it. Sources close to the American citing his approach to management with the LA Dodgers as proof of that.

And you could go further. After all, Boehly has veto powers on any signings or sales made by management. Yet, despite not being involved in transfers since January '23, he's allowed Paul Winstanley and Lawrence Stewart, the club's co-sporting directors, to make their calls - with the full support of Eghbali - unhindered. 

So this ridiculous clearout of Chelsea's Champions League winners. The gutting of the academy. The buying, then dumping, of the likes of Kalidou Koulibaly and Sterling. This has nothing to do with Boehly. He's been sidelined from the process. Voluntarily, of course, with that veto power. But this mess doesn't have his fingerprints on it.

Instead, it does appear the final straw was Pochettino's axing. Boehly, we hear - indeed we saw, wanted the Argentine to continue this season. And rightly so. Just weeks before Poch's departure and we were all still picking up ourselves off the floor after the American was actually talking about the importance of stability within a football club.

“The number one thing is you have got to be patient,” Boehly stated at May's Sportico conference. “You are putting something together and expecting it to come together really quickly, but the reality is (that) anything really good takes a little bit of time.

“Patience was always a thought for us. This is a young and exciting team that will be together for a long time. If you look at franchises that dominate for a long time, they have real stability in the team, front office and coaching staff.”

Then days before Poch's exit, Boehly and the Argentine had dinner together. And it was no farewell supper. Instead, it was more a confirmation for Pochettino after the team's incredible end of season run to European qualification.

However, as Boehly was assuring his manager, those two - Winstanley and Stewart - had already made up their mind. And with Eghbali's backing, Pochettino was dismissed. The Champions League finalist and Ligue 1 title winner's approach just didn't fit as Chelsea eventually turned to Leicester City's Enzo Maresca.

Publicly, Boehly looked two-faced. After all, the belief was he was still involved at the pointy end of every major decision - including the manager's position. As such, with Boehly still enjoying the greater profile, it was he who copped the greatest backlash from yet another non-sensical decision from the board at Chelsea.

Yet we're now learning, thanks to his unofficial PR team, that Boehly was blindsided by this call. Yes, he was consulted in the end. But the decision was made between Winstanley, Stewart and Eghbali, before Boehly was eventually brought into the discussions. If he indeed was the lone voice of reason, then how can you go against Boehly in a two-horse race?

Indeed, even taking the personalities and emotions out of the equation, Eghbali is still at a disadvantage. As the front-man for Clearlake, he's at the beck-and-call of their investors. If Boehly offers the private equity firm the chance of a quick profit, the decision will be taken out of Eghbali's hands.

In contrast, again via Boehly's support network, we're learning that those willing to back Chelsea's minority shareholder for a full-blown takeover are individuals with cash to burn. Football fans. Sports fans. Who will invest for the long-term. Indeed, Boehly is now said to view Chelsea as a "lifelong" project. If it's up to him, he won't be going anywhere for a long time - if ever.

So advantage Boehly. We'd offer some counter arguments on Eghbali's behalf, but there's nothing coming through. In fact, in a swipe, a Boehly pal has declared Eghbali as being "obsessed with player trading". In this PR battle, as we say, Boehly's team are playing a blinder.