Chelsea chief executive Chris Jurasek leaves in latest high-profile departure

Exclusive: American business executive, who was an unpopular figure among sections of supporters, has already stopped working at Chelsea

Chelsea’s summer overhaul has extended past the playing staff and football management, with chief executive Chris Jurasek becoming the latest high-profile departure as part of a behind-the-scenes reshuffle.
The club have set up a new management committee, to run the commercial side of the club, that does not include Jurasek and will instead be spearheaded by chief operating officer Jason Gannon.
Telegraph Sport understands that Jurasek, who became unpopular among sections of staff and supporters, has already stopped working at Chelsea as part of a plan for him to move on. He will remain available to give advice, but will no longer hold a permanent position.
The news comes just over a year since Chelsea announced Jurasek’s appointment as chief executive to coincide with the departure of former president of business Tom Glick, who had been one of the first hires of the Clearlake Capital-Todd Boehly ownership.
Jurasek has also worked as an operating executive at Clearlake, the American investment company owned by Chelsea co-owners Behdad Eghbali and Jose E Feliciano, for the past 10 years.
At Clearlake, Jurasek has been responsible for hiring new leadership teams for companies they buy – a brief he has carried out at Chelsea with the appointment of a number of senior staff.
It is claimed that, just as he constantly moves on to the next project at Clearlake, Jurasek was always destined to move on from Chelsea with a two-year timeframe once a business leadership team had been put in place.
Jurasek said: “I am incredibly proud to have led this historic football club into its next chapter. We have accomplished the task of building a team both on and off the pitch that means the club is well-positioned for long-term success.
“I have complete confidence in Jason and the executive leadership team that was built and am thankful to have played a part in its establishment.”
Eghbali, Feliciano and Boehly said: “We would like to express our gratitude to Chris for taking on this role. He is an outstanding executive, a fact that is underlined by the talented leadership team formed during his tenure.”
Gannon takes on Jurasek’s responsibilities as president and chief operating officer, and becomes a senior member of a new management committee that includes chief revenue officer Casper Stylsvig, James Murray, who has been promoted to chief strategy officer and head of business operations, and head of legal and corporate affairs James Bonnington.
It is expected that Todd Kline, who is on gardening leave before joining from Tottenham Hotspur, and Phil Lynch, who has worked at Manchester United, will join the Chelsea committee once their appointments are finalised.
While the new committee will run the commercial side of Chelsea, the football operations will continue to be run day-to-day by sporting directors Paul Winstanley and Laurence Stewart.
Jurasek was highly rated and respected by some members of staff, but his departure will not disappoint a section of Chelsea fans who were unhappy with some of the decisions made since his appointment.
It was in August last year, just a few months after Jurasek’s arrival, that Chelsea announced the decision to remove the coach subsidy for away travel, which prompted an angry response from the supporters’ trust who accused the club of penny-pinching.
Jurasek also came under fire following a report that he referred to fans as “customers” during an internal meeting. Telegraph Sport was told he surprised staff by telling them on at least one occasion that he had “no interest in football”.
Reacting to the news of Jurasek’s departure, a Chelsea Supporters’ Trust spokesperson said: “The CST first met Mr Jurasek in August 2023 ahead of the League Cup tie vs AFC Wimbledon. During the feisty meeting, he hoped that the team performed well that night and secured three points… this set the tone for his tone-deaf tenure as CEO in which he made no effort to build a relationship with any supporter group.
“The CST looks forward to working with Jason Gannon as he is promoted to president and chief operating officer. This is a positive change that the club should use to rebuild the trust and confidence of supporters.”
As well as maintaining his work with Clearlake, Jurasek was in May named as non-executive director of IRIS Software Group and, in July, became a non-executive chair at Cube.
The business reshuffle comes at the end of a summer in which Chelsea changed their head coach, backroom staff and were one of the busiest clubs in the transfer window.
Despite all the changes, Chelsea are planning to make further additions to the business and sporting departments in the coming months.