Todd Boehly has taken what can be seen as another step towards implenting part of his plan for Chelsea in the Premier League as the club announced their ticket prices for the upcoming season. Coming off the back of the club's worst season in well over two decades, the Blues are far from popular with their fans at the current moment.
Despite heavy investment and change, Boehly and co-owners Clearlake Capital have so far failed to connect with their supporters and were even the subject to public questioning by a group that oversaw the club's defeat to Brighton in April. Several fans turned their gazes away from the pitch and towards the owner's box during the 2-1 loss, summing up the state of tension and unrest.
It has been coming for many. Six months before the Champions League win in 2021 a banner was left outside SW6 reading: "The circus continues." Meanwhile not long after that the European Super League episode left all with a sour taste in their mouthes. That was before Boehly and Co were even on the scene.
READ MORE: Chelsea can secure $126m windfall that hands Todd Boehly key Joao Felix transfer chance
The current issues are mainly footballing ones. Why was Thomas Tuchel sacked? What is the plan for the club and finally, any chance of picking up three points on a consistent basis anytime soon?
It's the last point that causes most to turn and get frustrated. Ultimately there isn't too much, especially not for new owners, that cannot be solved by winning. Roman Abramovich was defended by many for his success while Manchester United fans have used their better season as a way to rebel further against the Glazers.
Having been sold for over £4bn just over one year ago, Boehly isn't going anywhere and fans don't expect him to, either. They just want, no, demand, more understanding. The connection to the club is what makes it such a special atmosphere, football is unrivalled in its appeal. Taking that away and being cut from that feeling is hard to stomach.
The inevitable ending of Boehly and Co coming in and making moves towards the NFL, NBA and MLB style of franchise over club is yet to properly take shape at Chelsea but small hints have been dropped along the way. It's not to say that this is bad, either. There are multiple ways to run a club and be successful, especially as that alone is an entirely subjective thing.
There are more fans worldwide that are keen to see Chelsea for one game, live the experience of a matchday with various goods, hotdogs, replica shirts and photos than there are those willing to chant their souls out for 90 minutes, leave and breathe the game entirely and then do it all again in Newcastle the week after.
Failing to tap into that market is something that has cost Chelsea on their path to this stage of being a global superpower. They haven't followed the trajectory of other clubs. Getting there via winning has been a rollercoaster, unpredictable and entirely exciting ride but also one that has shown flaws on the pitch since 2017 with highly organised and conglomerate-level structures in place to ensure more control and less anomalies.
It has meant that higher revenues are vital and commercial and marketing teams have extra roles to play, something that has been unexplored as much as Chelsea's on-field rivals for too long. This is why the changes made by the LA Dodgers co-owner have seemed so drastic, it is all alien to Chelsea but not so to Manchester City or more pertinently Liverpool, Arsenal and United with their USA-based investement.
So, when Chelsea announced that they were freezing season ticket prices for general admssion in the 2023/24 season, there was perhaps a small dose of surprise. The hindsight view will be that even with a cost of living crisis, shambolic campaign and growing disconnect there was very little option.
That would be wrong, though. Chelsea could have raised the prices in line with hitting the matchday experience levels required to turn a Premier League game into a four-hour MLB slog like the LA Dodgers. The baseball games are longer, more expensive and highly interactive, all things that Boehly wishes to add into football in some shape or form. It might work, but not right now.
The decision to keep ticket prices is a good one and has gone down positively with fans. The Chelsea Supporters' Trust wrote in a statement: "The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust would like to place on record its thanks to Mr Boehly and his board for putting supporters first.
"It is vital that there is a connection between the club, its players and our supporters. The decision to freeze GA tickets is a step in the right direction and reflects Chelsea’s commitment to “make the fans proud. The CST is delighted that the club has responded positively to our representations over the past few months regarding Season Ticket prices.
"We have campaigned vehemently that prices should be frozen to reflect the impact of the cost of living crisis. Over the past few months, the CST has held various meetings with club officials and board members where we set out our position.
"The Chelsea Supporters’ Trust is pleased that supporters have been put front and centre within the decision making process after a difficult season on the pitch. We note the increase in corporate areas and will remain in dialogue with the club to protect the interests of all supporters on this issue."
It had sent a letter of warning to the club previously, too, mentioning the chance of irreversible toxicity should there be a ticket hike despite waining performances.
What this does leave is the Westview portion of Stamford Bridge. The upper west stand that was refurbished in 2021 with a price rise of three times the cost for some season ticket holders. That area of the ground will have a price rise and blurs the lines between general admission, hospitality and corperate seats.
One fan, for instance, will be asked to pay nearly £600 more for his seat despite the lack of European football on offer, something that has already been taken into account. This suggests that the price increase may well have been even more if the club were in the Champions League.
It's a sign of the need for increased revenue, albeit with a long-standing warning from the club that Westview tickets would be subject to increases in future years. The same has happened here and it might just be the first port of call for a move taking Chelsea closer to American-like experiences at 3pm on any given Saturday.
READ NEXT:
Mauricio Pochettino has already told Chelsea 'perfect' $151m Declan Rice transfer outcome
Four Chelsea transfers that prove Todd Boehly can grant Mauricio Pochettino $457m demand
Christian Pulisic transfer can green light cheap $20m Chelsea experiment
Mauricio Pochettino has different Chelsea contract stance to Todd Boehly amid Mason Mount hope
Christian Pulisic set to 'lead' $82m triple Chelsea transfer swap Todd Boehly would love
