Roman Abramovich Thread

[NikkiCFC 8,048]

6 hours ago, Alabama said:

Saudi Media group is the owner I prefer...

Rent boys 4life 💙

[ChelseaFanUK 1,014]

5 hours ago, Superblue_1986 said:

As we're getting closer to the Friday deadline, some more people and consortiums seem to be popping up in news outlets.

I wouldn't put it past someone ending up with us who hasn't even been mentioned yet.

Yep. My thinking (if not Boehly) but there is talk now that Boehly and Wyss consortium is not sorted! That's guy who broke the interview story claimed it was week or so back

 

I really think Candy is out.  Seems its Ken Griffin who is funding the Rickett's bid, which would make him owner, would it not?

Edited March 16, 2022 by ChelseaFanUK

[Superblue 6,372]

34 minutes ago, ChelseaFanUK said:

Yep. My thinking (if not Boehly) but there is talk now that Boehly and Wyss consortium is not sorted! That's guy who broke the interview story claimed it was week or so back

 

I really think Candy is out.  Seems its Ken Griffin who is funding the Rickett's bid, which would make him owner, would it not?

A couple of things I've read about Ken Griffin, he seems to be a pretty big football fan but he's got no experience in the field of sports teams which is perhaps why he's decided it mitigates any risks if he's going in with someone who does have that experience. It has been reported that previous experience dealing/running a sports team would also be looked at favourably so it makes a lot of sense if this would be the reason.

[ChelseaFanUK 1,014]

1 hour ago, Superblue_1986 said:

A couple of things I've read about Ken Griffin, he seems to be a pretty big football fan but he's got no experience in the field of sports teams which is perhaps why he's decided it mitigates any risks if he's going in with someone who does have that experience. It has been reported that previous experience dealing/running a sports team would also be looked at favourably so it makes a lot of sense if this would be the reason.

My take on it is Griffin funds the bid, and arguably acts like an underwriter, injecting money and funds when needed, the Roman role, of course.  Ricketts family run the sporting operations.  The Buck, Tenenbaum roles etc

 

Lot of people on twitter digging out Ricketts history of awful allegations, but im not sure if that is simply in part because they're desperate for Saudi's to win.  Im not sure if it was the father who was subject of the bad media.    Which may explain why the talk today is that his son will be involved, not the father

[ZAPHOD2319 4,518]

Saudi Media is not fucking around!

 

[OneMoSalah 8,785]

Keep seeing talk of a “super consortium” and quite frankly it scares me. As they say, having too many cooks spoils the broth.

Hopefully we get something done with a leading figure and not X amount of idiots who may want or expect different things as having great leadership upstairs is everything in an organisation. 

[bigbluewillie 1,859]

London Olympics chief Coe has joined ex-Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton's bid.

 

Broughton, who announced his intention to buy Chelsea over the weekend, told the BBC "I am absolutely delighted to welcome Lord Coe to our bid. His reputation speaks for itself, and he will bring phenomenal insight, leadership, and sporting knowledge to Chelsea Football Club."

His group is expected to submit a bid in the next 48 hours.

Coe said he was "certain that Sir Martin is the right man to lead Chelsea Football Club into its next chapter" citing his "exceptional track record in British business".

Coe added "most importantly, like me, he is a lifelong Chelsea supporter and Shed End season ticket holder. I know that this bid is for the millions of Chelsea fans around the world. We love our club and will always put the fans first".

Broughton, 74, is a former British Airways chairman and now chairs private investment firm Sports Investment Partners. He was briefly Liverpool chairman in 2010.

Those close to the consortium declined to tell BBC Sport who was financing the bid or who else was involved.

Coe would take a seat on the Chelsea board if Broughton's bid is successful, according to the PA news agency.

[DH1988 1,304]

Blue tinted glasses of course, but the ownership possibility for Chelsea is just so lucrative, West London, Kings Road etc. I'm not talking profits of course, it's all status.

[Magic Lamps 11,668]

3 hours ago, DH1988 said:

Blue tinted glasses of course, but the ownership possibility for Chelsea is just so lucrative, West London, Kings Road etc. I'm not talking profits of course, it's all status.

Rightly so. We are the hottest and most fashionable club in the country. Best part of the best city. Plus we are European and world champions. Truly a global brand. In every other country in the world they would kiss our feet like Germany does with Bayern, Spain with real, france with psg etc.

Don't get me wrong, I love the country, the British people and culture. But sadly it is governed by corrupted dimwits who are Dipper and ManUre fans with their heads stuck in the past on top of that. It is disgusting how this is true for all institutions in the public and in the sporting sphere. Sanctions on oligrachs may well have their justification but to let us bleed as club is an obvious mix of sadism, malice and incompetence.

It does not really matter who we get as owner they will always try to shame and discriminate against us. We might well not be as successful in the near future but the club has survived more hardship in its 117yr history and will live on. Younger fans like me might not have experienced periods like that before but going through some very rough patches is part of being a fan. I am not going anywhere.

Edited March 17, 2022 by Magic Lamps

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[Milan 17,859]

Lord Sebastian Coe is reportedly ready to team up with Sir Martin Broughton in staking a claim at Chelsea following Roman Abramovich’s sanction.

“I am certain that Sir Martin is the right man to lead Chelsea Football Club into its next chapter. He has an exceptional track record in British business, as well as unrivalled experience in shepherding Liverpool out of a very difficult situation,” Coe told the PA news agency.

“He has the vision, acumen and financial backing to ensure our club’s future success, keeping Chelsea Football Club at the top of European football and challenging for trophies. But most importantly, like me, he is a lifelong Chelsea supporter and Shed End season-ticket holder. I know that this bid is for millions of Chelsea fans around the world. We love our club and will always put the fans first,” he added.

[Pizy 18,418]

Hope the new ownership isn’t chosen based on sentimental connection to the club. Are Broughton and Coe rich enough to spend and keep us at the top? Or might they be preferred just because they’re English and Chelsea supporters?

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[Fernando 6,484]

50 minutes ago, Pizy said:

Hope the new ownership isn’t chosen based on sentimental connection to the club. Are Broughton and Coe rich enough to spend and keep us at the top? Or might they be preferred just because they’re English and Chelsea supporters?

But the problem is how fast we want to close. 

I wonder if with the Saudis the PL will give us a hard time to sell vs someone English? 

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Blues Forever

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

[Pizy 18,418]

My memory is fuzzy at this point, was there such a massive frenzy to buy Arse, Liverpool, or United when they changed hands years ago?

It’s crazy how everyday now we’re seeing some other group throw their hat in the ring. There was so much talk just last week about someone perhaps getting a cut-price deal since we were in such a hurry to sell. But damn, there are loads of party’s that are still willing to pay multiple billion dollars for the chance to own our club.

That should bode well for our future prospects. Someone who wants us that badly will want to invest in the squad.

[Fernando 6,484]

The battle to buy Chelsea: what we know about the main bidders

Before Friday’s deadline for offers to buy the club from Roman Abramovich, we look at the known runners and riders

 

Boehly-Wyss-Goldstein consortium

The Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss was first to go public regarding Roman Abramovich’s desire to sell and to declare an interest in buying the club. He has teamed up with investors including Todd Boehly, an American who part-owns baseball’s LA Dodgers, and Jonathan Goldstein, a British businessman who is the CEO of Cain International and a Tottenham fan. They submitted an offer between £2bn and £2.5bn some days ago and have been confident of winning the race to buy Chelsea but the picture has been complicated by the emergence of new bidders. Boehly was rebuffed by Abramovich when he made an offer for the club in 2019.

 

Ricketts family and Ken Griffin

The Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, have joined forces with the hedge fund tycoon Ken Griffin, who is valued by Forbes at $26.5bn (£20.2bn). Griffin is the founder and CEO of Citadel Asset Management but is operating in a private capacity. The Ricketts family, who announced on Wednesday they would bid on Friday, first made an attempt to buy Chelsea in 2018. They believe their success in winning the World Series with the Cubs in 2016 and major redevelopment of the team’s historic Wrigley Field show they would be worthy owners of the Premier League club, whose Stamford Bridge stadium could be renovated.

Team Broughton-Coe

Martin Broughton, a former chairman of British Airways, is planning to front a bid and has support from Sebastian Coe and financial muscle from Creative Artists Agency, a US company whose portfolio includes the football agency Base, and Evolution Media Capital. Broughton, a Chelsea fan, was briefly chairman of Liverpool in 2010 and there would be a seat on the board for Coe, the World Athletics president and a fellow Chelsea supporter, if this offer succeeds. Coe is a former Conservative MP and worked closely with Boris Johnson over the 2012 London Olympics, when the prime minister was the mayor of London. The UK government must approve Chelsea’s sale after imposing sanctions on Abramovich, although the process is being overseen by the US bank Raine.

Woody Johnson

 

The owner of the NFL’s New York Jets since January 2000 has strong interest in Chelsea and a connection with London. He was appointed as the US ambassador to the UK by Donald Trump in 2017 and soon denied he had suggested his country could buy the NHS. Johnson is said to have developed, or deepened, his love for football, and Chelsea in particular, during his time in that post. He is the billionaire heir to the Johnson & Johnson pharmaceutical fortune. The Jets have not made the play-offs in 11 years, the longest current drought in the NFL.

Nick Candy and partners

The British property tycoon is another Chelsea fan hoping to own the club. He has acknowledged the need to team up with other investors and sources have said he has been approached by several and has the funds in place to bid. Candy this week denied he could team up with Boehly, Wyss and Goldstein, with a spokesperson saying Candy did “not want a lifelong Spurs fan as part of the future ownership of Chelsea”. Candy, a Conservative party donor and property developer, has said he would put a fan on the board and his proposals include plans for an expensive redevelopment of Stamford Bridge. He has enlisted the sports advisory and capital solutions firm Tifosy, co-founded by the former Chelsea player and manager Gianluca Vialli.

Saudi Media Company

Saudi Media is described on the website of its parent company, Engineer Holding Group, as “a media representation as well as a sports and event marketing company”. Its bid is being fronted by Mohamed Alkhereiji, another Chelsea fan, who is the CEO at Engineer, founded by his father, Abdulelah. Sources have said, in response to questions regarding a possible Premier League’s owners’ and directors’ test, that Saudi Media has no direct links to the Saudi government. This week, the UK’s sports minister, Nigel Huddlestone, said: “Saudi Arabia is an important partner of the UK in investment, intelligence and culture. We welcome Saudi Arabian investment.”

Other possible bidders

As many as 200 groups have notified Raine of their interest so offers from elsewhere appear likely. Muhsin Bayrak, a Turkish businessman, was said by a representative to have made a bid just under a fortnight ago. Since then Abramovich has been hit by sanctions and Bayrak has been quoted as saying he will submit a fresh offer that reflects the changed circumstances. Josh Harris, the Crystal Palace co-owner, has been linked with a bid. Any takeover by the American would require him to leave Palace.

What happens next?

Raine will assess the bids and pick its preferred candidates. The bank is hopeful a deal could go through by the end of this month, with time of the essence because Chelsea are operating under a special licence as a result of the sanctions on Abramovich. At the start of this month the Premier League chief executive, Richard Masters, said: “I think the quickest [sale] we have ever done is 10 days. That’s not to say that record can’t be beaten but normally it takes a number of weeks.”

https://www.theguardian.com/football/2022/mar/17/battle-to-buy-Chelsea-bidders-so-far-roman-abramovich

-----------------------

The quote from the UK's Sports minister about Saudi Arabia is very interesting. If they are willing to accept them, then we should go for them. Who cares about image, Chelsea will continue to be hated, was for many years and more even with so with Saudi owners. I'm all for it as long he will continue to legacy of Roman of spending on us 😃

 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Fernando