LONDON – Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping a quick sale of the European champions will provide clarity for employees and fans of the club.
Final bids for the club must be submitted yesterday.
Chelsea were put up for sale after current owner Roman Abramovich was hit by sanctions by the British government for his alleged links to Russian president Vladimir Putin as the latter wages war on Ukraine.
Chelsea have been granted a special licence to continue operating but with revenue from their income streams frozen, they will quickly run out of cash to meet their expenses, including a £28 million (RM158.5 million) monthly wage bill, unless control is passed to a new owner.
“We hope we find a new owner soon because this will calm the situation down,” Tuchel said at his pre-match press conference ahead of today’s trip to Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.
“This will give us clarity and clarity is always good.
“As I understand we can trust this is solved quicker than usual.”
A host of rival bidders have come forward ahead of the deadline to submit bids to New York merchant bank the Raine Group.
World Athletics president and Chelsea fan Sebastian Coe has joined former Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton’s bid.
Chicago Cubs owners the Ricketts family have formed a consortium with American hedge fund boss Ken Griffin, while British property tycoon Nick Candy is also fronting a bid backed by former Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli.
Another consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss were the first to emerge as a genuine contender and remain front runners.
Chelsea have experienced unprecedented success during Abramovich’s 19 years in charge, winning 19 major trophies including five Premier League titles and two Champions Leagues.
Yesterday they were drawn against Real Madrid in the quarter-finals of this season’s Champions League.
Tuchel hopes the new owners will have the same lust for winning as the Russian did – Abramovich poured loans totalling £1.5 billion (RM8.5 billion) into making the club a success on the field.
“Hopefully they love winning, that would be a big plus,” added Tuchel on his preference for a new owner. “I still believe Chelsea will stay strong.”
Tuchel’s preparations for today’s match have been helped by an easing of restrictions on the amount Chelsea can spend on travel, which will allow them to fly to the northeast of England rather than a 10-hour round trip by bus.
Chelsea are expected to get a hostile reception at the Riverside Stadium after an audacious request for the match to be played behind closed doors on sporting integrity grounds due to their inability to sell tickets to away fans.
That request was quickly withdrawn and Middlesbrough manager Chris Wilder said there is little sympathy for Chelsea’s predicament.
“It will go up for sale and it will be bought by a billionaire, who will possibly invest more money into it,” said Wilder, whose side have already eliminated Manchester United and Tottenham to get to the last eight.
“They’ll possibly invest in the stadium, invest in the facilities, so I don’t think there’s, in the football world, an incredible amount of sympathy over what’s happening.” – AFP, March 19, 2022
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