LONDON, Could 7 (Reuters) – Chelsea followers arriving at Stamford Bridge a couple of hours after a non-public equity-backed deal to purchase the membership was introduced welcomed the prospect of a return to stability however expressed concern in regards to the motivations of the brand new house owners.
Chelsea mentioned within the early hours of Saturday that phrases had been agreed with a bunch led by Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and backed by Clearlake Capital over a 4.25 billion pound ($5.2 billion) deal for the reigning European champions. learn extra
Chelsea’s present proprietor Roman Abramovich put the membership up on the market in early March after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which led to the British authorities sanctioning the Russian billionaire.
Register now for FREE limitless entry to Reuters.com
Jeff Oakley, a Chelsea fan since 1969, mentioned he hoped the brand new house owners would proceed to plough cash into the membership, however he needed extra readability about their plans.
“On the finish of the day they are not in right here as a result of they love the membership, they’re in right here as a result of they love the cash,” Oakley mentioned as he approached the stadium forward of Chelsea’s Premier League match at Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The BBC reported that the brand new house owners have agreed to not promote a majority stake in Chelsea till 2032 and had given assurances over dividends and debt.
Martin Farrier, a long-standing Chelsea season ticket-holder, mentioned he would have most popular a British proprietor.
“However that is due to the best way the Individuals seem to have run Manchester United into the bottom, and I’d hate that to occur right here,” he mentioned.
The Florida-based Glazer household have owned United since 2005 and have confronted fan opposition from the second they accomplished their takeover because the membership didn’t match its earlier glittering kind.
Against this, Chelsea have been England’s most profitable membership since Abramovich purchased the Londoners in 2003. However the turmoil over its possession has coincided with a drop in kind in current weeks.
Chelsea have been knocked out of the Champions League in April and are nicely adrift of Premier League leaders Manchester Metropolis. Subsequent Saturday’s FA Cup remaining in opposition to Liverpool affords them one final likelihood of silverware this season.
Ferdinand Weiss, a 22 year-old scholar from Austria who got here to London to see the group he has supported since he was a boy, mentioned gamers who’ve determined to depart Chelsea, reminiscent of defender Toni Rudiger, might need stayed with out the confusion.
“It is good to carry some nonetheless water into the state of affairs,” Weiss mentioned.
As for the change in possession, he mentioned there was no excellent answer for a membership as large as Chelsea within the more and more profitable world of sports activities enterprise.
“It’s important to choose oil cash, or you need to choose some billionaire from the U.S. There is no such thing as a saviour on the market.”
Register now for FREE limitless entry to Reuters.com
Reporting by William Schomberg; Modifying by Hugh Lawson
: .
