Behdad Eghbali, co-owner of Chelsea, has shared his ideas on constructing a multi-club network alongside the Blues.
Eghbali and fellow co-owner Todd Boehly have declared their desire to transition to a data-driven, multi-club system. They have acquired personnel from Brighton and Red Bull to make this dream a reality, with former RB Leipzig technical director Christopher Vivell being their most recent hire.
Eghbali was questioned at SporticoLive’s Invest in Sports conference about the advantages of a multi-club model and what it would mean for Chelsea.
“I believe there are three distinct causes behind it,” Eghbali continued.
“If executed properly, you may earn money from each business.
“Two, if done well, if you utilize data if you’re savvy about this global market for talent and access to talent that is not efficiently accomplished through a draught or an enormous college or baseball farm system, which I would credit to a multi-club model. You may capture, acquire, retain, sign, and monetize talent. There exists a talent arbitrage opportunity.
“Three is the ideal method for developing talent without spending a fortune on the payroll. There are clubs in the Premier League that spend 10% less on payroll than the top five or six teams. We recruited a coach from Brighton because we believe they are one of the best-run Premier League clubs. The proprietor has a history in sports gaming and statistics. He spends 10% of payroll, wins almost as much, and is a highly steady, mid-market, mid-table club that is quite lucrative.
“I believe that if you apply some of that IP to producing talent and retaining your people, you will be successful.” Not subject to arbitration and susceptible to free agency, but we believe the concept of six-, seven-, and eight-year contracts for retained players with the market worth may be sustained.
Egbahli explained some of the Chelsea board’s plans for growing their network, listing many nations in which the organization has considered investing.
“Portugal is an intriguing market for us,” he remarked. “An entrance to South America and a gateway to European visas, the French market is intriguing due to the level of the league and, honestly, French speakers throughout Africa. We believe Africa is a massive market.
“The [Los Angeles] Dodgers operate a farm club in Uganda. Considering Africa as a market with untapped potential near Europe in terms of time zone. Again, we are all on the precipice of where we are heading.
“Clearly, our strategy was based on the fact that Chelsea was accessible due to a worldwide crisis, therefore we decided to start with her. When we’ve seen it fail, it’s when individuals purchase memberships only because they are available for purchase.”
