Roman Abramovich Thread

[Blues Forever 1,232]

Potential controversy if Boehly still wants Finkelstein. 

Edited March 17, 2022 by Blues Forever

[Clockwork 1,794]

https://weaintgotnohistory.sbnation.com/2022/3/16/22981948/oaktree-capital-latest-to-prepare-offer-for-Chelsea-football-club-report

 

[Vesper 30,206]

12 hours ago, Blues Forever said:

Potential controversy if Boehly still wants Finkelstein. 

ffs 🤬

[Vesper 30,206]

and now these motherfuckers!

Premier League clubs question Chelsea's unfair advantage if Roman Abramovich writes off debt

Premier League rivals have raised concerns that Chelsea could benefit from having their £1.5billion debt to Roman Abramovich written off if the club finds new owners

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-Chelsea-abramovich-debt-26476121

Premier League clubs have questioned whether Chelsea would receive an 'unfair advantage' if owner Roman Abramovich writes off his £1.5billion debt in a potential takeover.

The Blues were put up for sale by the Russian billionaire almost a fortnight ago - after his links to Vladimir Putin came to light following the invasion of Ukraine - and in his hasty exit strategy, Abramovich pledged that he would not ask for any debt accumulated over the past 19 years, which he is owed, to be repaid by the south-west London club.

But since the UK government sanctioned Abramovich and froze his assets, Chelsea have been plunged into further crisis and must wait for Downing Street to issue them with a new licence to be sold. Should a solution emerge and Abramovich stick to his pledge, the new regime would not have to deal with the backlog of cash, leading chiefs of rival Premier League clubs to raise concerns over the potentially advantageous situation.

The Telegraph report that in a call convened by the league on Monday afternoon, representatives of the other 19 clubs were updated on the Blues' situation by Chelsea chairman Bruce Buck. The general consensus from rivals was that Abramovich's successor could benefit from not having to repay the £1.5bn, which has been racked up since the 55-year-old bought the Blues for £140million in 2003, before super-charging them to the top of world football.

Buck went on to confirm that Chelsea had enough financial rescuers to complete the season and would not go into administration. Any bids to buy the club must be submitted by the close of play on Friday to Raine Group in New York, who is tasked with overseeing the process.

Once the offers are in, the terms of a government licence will dictate how things proceed. A consortium of US investor Todd Boehly, Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss and British property developer Jonathan Goldstein are the current favourites, but Nick Candy and Saudi Media Group are also in the running.

Both the Premier League and government are keen for a sale to be completed swiftly and avoid compounding political scrutiny. It is added that Premier League policy director Helen MacNamara will appear in front of a select Department of Digital, Media, Culture, Sport committee to discuss football's response to the Ukraine crisis and disinformation surrounding Russia.

Chelsea's predicament has seen the topic of sportwashing thrust into the spotlight, with manager Thomas Tuchel constantly facing probes over both the club's future and Abramovich's ties to Putin. But the German tactician has insisted that his focus remains on dealing with the Blues' day-to-day situation in footballing terms.

"It's the same situation as in the last days. There is no update or other feeling around [Cobham]," Tuchel told a news conference on Tuesday ahead of their Champions League round-of-16 second leg against Lille. "We have to deal with it. There are things to talk about, like how to arrive at games.

"Things that are normally taken care of, but now we have to stick together, give our opinions, and then we have to find solutions. There are subjects we don't usually discuss but now we will." He added: "A need owner needs to arrive, to be approved, and then own the club. Then we discuss it.

"There is a process how you become an owner in this league, and of course, as I said after the last game, everybody relies on the process and the values which are behind the decisions and allowances to run a club. Did I have a choice to take this role [over the last two weeks]? No, but it is day-by-day.

"Not a lot of people in England are talking at a club. It is something I appreciate that we keep it inside. I try to be honest, give you an insight, and give you information from a coach's heart. This is what I try and what you can rely on."

Regarding the off-pitch uncertainty, forward Kai Havertz admitted: "We are all professionals. Everyone knows it's a strange situation for everyone at the club. We are the players and have to focus on the matches. That's all we can do.

"The other stuff the club has to sort out themselves. It's not for the players. I can't speak about it too much because we are focused on the games and that is what is important for us at the moment."

Edited March 18, 2022 by Vesper

[ChelseaFanUK 1,014]

I've always thought Boehly would win, but the amount of "PR" from that camp is huge, its like Candy's bid.  Lot of media talk; and sometimes the ones shouting the most, is because they are desperate

 

As said before "the serious bidders dont usually do much talking, they stay quiet"

 

Something nagging is now telling me Boehly will be 2nd, and ricketts/griffin are ahead.   Yes, they have horrible history with remarks re. muslims etc, but i bet all bidders do if you look hard enough.

And i do not believe the Mail article re. Muslim players being against their takeover, the Mail would never have printed that if it wasnt for Twitter finding old stories from previous tweets.  Funny how a lot of these "inside scoops" come after twitter finds something, isnt it?

Saudi Media's bid wont be beaten if true, but I stil need convincing theyve definitely bid haha

Edited March 18, 2022 by ChelseaFanUK

[cosmicway 1,333]

Why should football clubs have rich presidents ?
Can someone explain this to me ?
As you know I am antisocialist while also anti-brexit because brexit it's looney tunes.
But just the same I 'm open minded.

So in every team there could be a technocrat as president. An LSE graduate, not one who has barely finished high school. Also a team of football savvies to advise him, but none of them would be as rich as either Abramovitch or the Glaziers. If the club breaks even then we have Mandy and Kai Havertz in the team. If not then we have the Sutton goalkeeper and Drinkwater.

How would that affect things ?
What comes to mind is Man United in the Frank O Farrel year. Remember what happened then ? Many United stars left the team because they were getting old. Bobby Charlton, George Best, Stepney and others. As a result they had a very bad year and were relegated.
But they came first in attendance ! Not Don Revie's Leeds United, not the new fangled European giants Liverpool, but United !
This means they could fix things by themselves, without the help of a millionaire investor. Or could n't they ?
Also the ticket prices were flat for all the teams back in those days.

The accepted modus operandi is of course that a rich guy is needed to run a club.
Yet it does n't always work. Some of them are called "crabsmen" by the fans.
What is the explanation ?

[bigbluewillie 1,930]

14 hours ago, Milan said:

Good boy, here's a cookie 🍪

Bollocks🤬

[Vesper 30,206]

On 16/03/2022 at 15:42, NikkiCFC said:

The other day it was relieved that Chris is not getting much money in Barca and that money is not important in this deal. Plus he is not really important player for us. Just squad option.

Silva and Rudiger are million years ahead of him plus we will get Kounde (if plans continue) and he is 4th guy in packing order.

Kounde is a dwarf and  was trash tonight v West Ham (besides poor positioning, he was so dominated in the air), I am still NOT sold on him, not at all

and Trevoh has been shambolic lately (hopefully just a learning curve patch, he has all most of the tools, except he is not great on the ball, which is a problem I admit)

AC's main issue is he is a bit fragile, but overall, when fit, he is a more that decent CB

CB's left on my list

in bold red are the only 3 truly WC CBs (WC now, not down the road, and also not 32yo or up) who are remotely available, and the first 2 will cost a shedload. KK is soon 31yo, so will be far cheaper, but he is soon 31yo, and we really do not do that (unless he came on a free, which is NOT happening, lol) 

Marquinhos (90% will not come)
Matthijs de Ligt  
Milan Skriniar  
Alessandro Bastoni   (90% will not come)
Pau Torres (he has finally won me over, potential WC, would much rather take him than Kounde)
Kalidou Koulibaly (if a fair price, as he turns 31yo on June 20)
Ronald Araújo (if Barca cannot get him to renew, which I think they do get him to do so, unfortunately)
Bremer   (a beast, has so so developed in a rock sold CB) 
Jurrien Timber (20yo from Ajax, only downside is his height, as he is only 1.82m, but is crazy fast and superb on the ball)
Robin Le Normand (a French Basque, super on the ball, good height, 1.88m, has come on so much lately for Real Sociedad)
Merih Demiral (has been immense for Atalanta)
Josko Gvardiol   (good young Croatian)
Maxence Lacroix (has dipped in form) 
Odilon Kossounou    (21yo potential Rudiger type, still pretty raw)
Nico Schlotterbeck (I would love this sleeper buy, I think he is a beast already)  
Gonçalo Inácio (20yo from Sporting Lisbon, huge upside)
Adam Webster (IF we are going for a home-grown, he is it)
Attila Szalai (I actually DO rate him)
David Carmo (monster size, 1.96m, 22yo from Braga)

Edited March 18, 2022 by Vesper

[Alabama 1,992]

Just get Wesley Fofana...

[Blues Forever 1,232]

19 minutes ago, Alabama said:

Just get Wesley Fofana...

Just signed another 5 years with Leicester.

[chelsea_4_eva 1,182]

De Ligt is on the move but is on crazy wages also his agent will be a stumbling block

[Blues Forever 1,232]

 

Edited March 18, 2022 by Blues Forever

[Vesper 30,206]

4 hours ago, Alabama said:

Just get Wesley Fofana...

you have no clue how much he is damaged goods, none of us do, I absolutely do not

and zero chance he leaves Leicester anytime soon after they 100% stuck with him all through his horrid injury

he also just (as another poster said) re-signed for 5 more years

Edited March 18, 2022 by Vesper

[Alabama 1,992]

How about Caglar Soyuncu...

Alexandria Bastoni is my preferred option but difficult a deal to pull...

[Vesper 30,206]

49 minutes ago, Alabama said:

How about Caglar Soyuncu...

Alexandria Bastoni is my preferred option but difficult a deal to pull...

 Soyuncu has been shambolic all year, he himself admits he has been very poor

and yes, Bastoni is great, but no chance, he said no way he wants to leave Inter and Italy in general

great Italian CB's are insanely hard to prise away from good Italian teams

[Vesper 30,206]

Bank to cut down shortlist of preferred Chelsea bidders to three from field of more than 100

At least one Chelsea bid ‘matches Abramovich’s valuation of £3bn’

https://archive.ph/EN26M#selection-765.0-769.65

The field for the race to buy Chelsea will be reduced to no more than three preferred bidders by early next week, according to sources close to the process.

 

The New York bank appointed by Roman Abramovich to find a new owner set a deadline of Friday for bids, with more than 100 parties said to be interested in acquiring the European and Club World Cup champions.

 

The government is understood to have advised Chelsea that the quickest way of achieving a sale is for Abramovich to agree that the proceeds of the sale will be put into a frozen third-party or escrow account before it is distributed to good causes. That would help accelerate approval for a special sale licence once it has been submitted by the club. Abramovich had previously committed to donating the proceeds to help the victims of the war in Ukraine but as a result of his sanctioning he would not be able to have any influence over the destination of the money.

 

Several consortiums have been enlisting high-profile Chelsea fans to back their bids.

 

It was confirmed that Michael Klein, a prominent American investment banker, and Creative Artists Agency, the US talent management agency, are behind a bid being fronted by Lord Coe and Sir Martin Broughton, the former chairman of British Airways who was briefly the chairman of Liverpool before brokering the Fenway takeover at Anfield in 2010.

 

The Ricketts family, who own the Chicago Cubs baseball team, are also considered serious contenders given the wealth of their bid partner, Kenneth Griffin. The American fund manager has a personal fortune of more than £20 billion.

 

But some insiders still believe that the consortium comprising the LA Dodgers co-owner Todd Boehly, the London property tycoon Jonathan Goldstein and the Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss remains a leading bid.

 

They have had their ownership proposal in place for some time, having expressed an interest in buying Chelsea in the past and have already tabled a bid approaching £2.5 billion.

 

Sources claim at least one bidder has matched Abramovich’s valuation of £3 billion, but the Boehly group believe that their stewardship of the Dodgers and their expertise in property development — given the need to rebuild Stamford Bridge — makes them an attractive proposition.

 

On Thursday they added a former UK government adviser and a celebrity PR executive to their consortium, with Danny Finkelstein and Barbara Charone to become non-executive board directors if they are successful.

 

Finkelstein, a lifelong Chelsea fan, is a columnist at The Times who was part of the working group that advised Tracey Crouch MP on her fan-led review of English football. In the past he has also provided advice to Conservative prime ministers John Major, David Cameron and Theresa May.

 

Charone is a legendary figure in the field of music PR, having worked with Madonna, Keith Richards, Rod Stewart and Depeche Mode. American-born, she moved to London in the 1970s and has supported Chelsea “religiously” since 1979.

 

In a statement Finkelstein said: “I am delighted to be part of the Todd Boehly consortium seeking to buy Chelsea FC. These are smart guys, who don’t just have the money to invest, they get how to use it. They understand about data and they understand about fans. I’m really excited about the plans for fan involvement, which I believe in strongly. I want Chelsea to be pioneers.

 

“I’m passionate about Chelsea to the point of eccentricity. I want owners who will invest but are also insightful and use modern methods to keep our club on top of the world.

 

“This is a bid from fervent sports fans, really successful backers of champions. Just look at the LA Dodgers: what they have invested and what they have won.”

 

Another potential bidder for Chelsea emerged with Aethel Partners, a London-based investment firm, claiming it has registered a bid of more than £2 billion. It said its blueprint for the club would be to keep the management in place and to commit £50 million in short-term financing to keep the club solvent.

 

A spokesman said Aethel Partners would build a new stadium on the Stamford Bridge site and is committed to improving the women’s team and the club’s community links. It is unclear what the source of the funding would be as Aethel Partners’ most recent accounts stated it had assets of £193,000, but the spokesman said it owned the rights to an iron ore mine in Portugal.

 

Meanwhile, the Arsenal Supporters’ Trust (AST) has backed the Chelsea fans’ trust in calling for supporters to be given shares in the club.

 

Tim Payton of the AST said: “The football world will be watching how the government proceeds. It can send an important statement of intent to fans of every club, and how it will proceed with implementing the fan-led review of football governance, by demonstrating that football really is the people’s game.

 

“Football clubs are far too important to be owned by any one person or entity, be it a nation state, oligarch or profit-seeking investor.”

[Superblue 6,372]

6 hours ago, Vesper said:

and now these motherfuckers!

Premier League clubs question Chelsea's unfair advantage if Roman Abramovich writes off debt

Premier League rivals have raised concerns that Chelsea could benefit from having their £1.5billion debt to Roman Abramovich written off if the club finds new owners

https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-league-Chelsea-abramovich-debt-26476121

Premier League clubs have questioned whether Chelsea would receive an 'unfair advantage' if owner Roman Abramovich writes off his £1.5billion debt in a potential takeover.

I don't understand how this is even a topic of conversation?

One of the bigger reasons for Chelsea's high valuation will be the position of zero debt. Put the £1.5bn debt back into play and the club would probably be valued then at £800 - 1bn instead because of that.

The fact that the club will be bought for a much higher price than Roman's loans makes this completely pointless. Either Roman could convert the loan to equity, before the purchase or the purchase could be structured as £1.5bn is to pay off the loans and the remainder for the club. It's no different to a small UK company having an owner with directors loans and then selling their business. Part of the sale will likely form part of those directors loans.

The club has been compliant with FFP requirements since their introduction too so it's not like Roman's loans have created an advantage with regards to FFP requirements.

It's such a nonsense assumption within the purchase.

[Vesper 30,206]

10 minutes ago, Superblue_1986 said:

I don't understand how this is even a topic of conversation?

One of the bigger reasons for Chelsea's high valuation will be the position of zero debt. Put the £1.5bn debt back into play and the club would probably be valued then at £800 - 1bn instead because of that.

The fact that the club will be bought for a much higher price than Roman's loans makes this completely pointless. Either Roman could convert the loan to equity, before the purchase or the purchase could be structured as £1.5bn is to pay off the loans and the remainder for the club. It's no different to a small UK company having an owner with directors loans and then selling their business. Part of the sale will likely form part of those directors loans.

The club has been compliant with FFP requirements since their introduction too so it's not like Roman's loans have created an advantage with regards to FFP requirements.

It's such a nonsense assumption within the purchase.

it is why I started raging as soon as I saw it

it is utter bollocks, but I guarantee the crusaders will go on the attack

saw a bunch of interviews with fans at multiple games

I would say 60, 70% of the non Chels fans want us relegated down to League 1 and banned from topflight for 5 years

the worst were Arsenal, over half said just wind us down, straight into liquidation after this season

Brighton were bad too, they were along the same lines

Edited March 18, 2022 by Vesper

[MoroccanBlue 5,383]

Screaming similarities to the transfer ban. 

Neutrals were laughing and mocking at our expense, to being outraged we will ultimately benefit from our "expense". 

Mugs. 

[Superblue 6,372]

11 minutes ago, Vesper said:

it is why I started raging as soon as I saw it

it is utter bollocks, but I guarantee the crusaders will go on the attack

saw a bunch of interviews with fans at multiple games

I would say 60, 70% of the non Chels fans want us relegated down to League 1 and banned from topflight for 5 years

the worst were Arsenal, over half said just wind us down, straight into liquidation after this season

Brighton were bad too, they were along the same lines

The irony of Arsenal fans who were begging Usmanov to buy the club from Kroenke a few years back.

It's just proof that no matter how righteous you think you're football club is in arguments such as this, everything boils down to wanting to see your club be as successful as possible.