‘Can’t get one from grocery store’ – Boehly explains unique transfer strategy to angry Chelsea fans after £1.2bn spend

CHELSEA co-owner Todd Boehly has opened up about the club’s controversial transfer strategy – after spending over £1.2billion since 2022.

The American businessman, 51, was targeted by fan protests ahead of the Blues’ 4-0 win over Southampton earlier this week.

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Boehly came out in defence of his leadership during an appearance at the FT Business of Football Summit on Thursday.

The LA Dodgers owner directly addressed the protests, claiming: “Criticism is just par for the course.

“The sooner you learn you won’t keep all the people happy all the time that brings freedom.”

Boehly’s reign has seen immense spending, with £1.2bn spent on over 40 players.

Chelsea have also dished out contracts of up to TEN years to numerous stars, including Moises Caicedo, Romeo Lavia and Cole Palmer.

Defending the strategy, Boehly insisted: “Strikers are hard to find. You can’t get one from the grocery store.

“It’s an amazing skillset and you have to have a fantastic mentality.

“The most misunderstood thing is that we’re thinking about it measured in years, not months. 

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“You have to think both short and long-term. We’re focused on a combination of both and seeking the best possible way to execute that. It’s a balancing act to figure that out.

“You have to have a plan and exercise it, accept that things are not linear and that the thing that matters is that the trend is in the right direction.”

Boehly admits his first foray into English football has come with a “learning curve”.

Chelsea have finished 12th and 6th in the Premier League over the past two seasons, failing to lift a trophy.

They looked set to mount a title challenge before Christmas, only for their form to fall off in the past two months.

He continued: “We’ve been here for less than three years and that’s been a whirling dervish of activity. Nothing is a straight line, ever and sport is so humbling.

“If you look at contracts in football, a seven-year contract is really a five-year contract.

“The reality that 95 per cent of the time by then you have to make a decision or you’ll shoot yourself in the foot.

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“At that point, you either agree an extension with the player or that greener pastures are out there for both sides.

“If you deny that you are kidding yourself.

“We felt the longer contracts meant we could amortise but it was also about how we put together a team with the ability to stay together.

“Teams that are dynasties over the years had superstar captains that were able to lead. But how do you find those superstar captains?

“And in football, the market is obviously across multiple countries – so you’re thinking France, Germany, Brazil, Latin America – basically everywhere around the world.”