To those who thought Chelsea would die after Abramovich left: Suck it…Wahala

To those who thought Chelsea would die after Abramovich left: Suck it…Wahala

Stealing the club from Roman Abramovich couldn't kill Chelsea, says a blue in the Mailbox.

 Cast our minds back to the March 22, Abramovich had been sanctioned by the government and forced to sell the club based on spurious evidence of his involvement with Putin and the Ukrainian war.  They literally stole the club from him.  To this day there is no legal precedent to remove him from ownership of the club (proceeds of crime act or unexplained wealth order require due process and civil proceedings).

 Abramovich knew that taking on the government would see the club he'd built and invested in torn to the ground.  The Gooner who tells us that the club was undervalued and that money had been "stolen" from the Ukrainian charity is talking bullshit.  The reality is the government had stolen £2.5 billion from Roman Abramovich.

 There were celebrations from opposition fans, especially goners who have had to sit in the blue shadow for the last 20 years.  Jokes, memes emails, social media celebrating the fact that Chelsea couldn't book a hotel or plane and faced a potential points of deduction and relegation to the championship.

 But Abramovich was clear that he wanted more than money, he wanted the work he'd done with the club to continue.  Guarantees from the successful bid included no sale of the club for 10 years and investment in the stadium and playing side.  Clearlake and Boehley's vision won the day.  Well, it's pissed off opposition fans that this consortium is standing good to its contractual obligation, it promised to invest £1.75 billion and in doing so has started to invest in the side.

 They want to take advantage of the market before the likes of United and Liverpool get new wealthy owners (probably Arab owned) in the summer that could see four clubs owned by states bidding for top players.  Using the tools available within FFP, tools that have been used by Barcelona Madrid, PSG, Atletico and City to name a few who have leveraged extended contracts (in Barcelona's case giving Messi a 10 year contract) to amortise the transfer fee and spread their investment  further.  Clearlake investment focuses on younger players, lower wages and performance bonuses.

 With UEFA closing extended contracts the only opportunity to purchase Enzo was this window?  The board has been true to their word, and as a direct result of government intervention unfortunately for Premier League opposition it has given Chelsea a new lease of life.