Clearlake boss reacts to Chelsea financial loss as plans for Premier League title challenge shared | OneFootball

Clearlake Capital Group co-founder Jose E. Feliciano insisted that Chelsea are not content with fighting for Champions League spots and intend to challenge for the Premier League title "soon".

A couple of weeks ago, UEFA's report revealed that Chelsea recorded a €407m (£355m) pre-tax loss in 2024/25, the highest deficit in English football history.

Obviously, this is a big hit to Chelsea owners, especially Clearlake Capital, who own the majority 61.5 per cent of the club.

Behdad Eghbali may have been the face of Clearlake at Chelsea, but Feliciano, who also holds the position of a director at the club, is just as influential in the decision-making.

Feliciano has recently played down the notion that Chelsea are necessarily in a "rough period" because of the financial situation.

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"Well, we just won two trophies last year, so you know... it kind of depends; a rough patch for whom, you know," Feliciano told Bloomberg Live before Chelsea's 4-1 win over Aston Villa last week.

"Arsenal hasn’t won in 20 years that I have checked or maybe they won something. But anyway, we have just won two trophies. We're in the fight for the Champions League this year.

"If you own a sports team or club, you have to understand that you are a steward of something much broader. The impact on the community is much broader than just a business or just a sport."

Feliciano further added that the owners are trying to turn Chelsea into title challengers, but in a system that is sustainable.

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“We take very seriously that Chelsea have been a top-six (club) in the Premier League, and we intend to not only stay there, but we intend to compete for trophies every year," he explained.

"We intend to win the Premier League someday soon. And I think the reality is that, I think we have put in place a much more sustainable system, in terms of players, in terms of kind of development that I think is yielding results right now.

"We're excited about the season, it's a very tough league - the toughest league in the world. We're fighting to be that top four or five, with the kinds of names like Liverpool, Villa, (Manchester) United.

"I think we are going to do well. It's sports, so everybody has an opinion."