Multiple bids submitted as Chelsea prepare to decide on new owners

Chelsea Football Club’s Friday 18th March deadline for bids to buy the club was met by over 10 interested parties who submitted offers. The decision to sell the club comes after global circumstances involving owner Roman Abramovich made his position untenable. Despite the noise surrounding the club at the moment, the team are performing well on the pitch. They are third in the Premier League and favourites to reach the FA Cup final according to Ladbrokes, with many fans taking advantage of their free bets via oddschecker to back the Blues. However, many of these fans are worried about who the club’s next owner will be, with many fans worried that whoever it is will struggle to maintain the success Roman Abramovich’s spending power has brought to the club.

Sir Martin Broughton & Lord Sebastian Coe

Former Liverpool chairman Sir Martin Broughton and World Athletics President Lord Sebastian Coe are leading a consortium aimed at purchasing the club. Both Lord Coe and Sir Martin Broughton are lifelong Chelsea fans with plenty of experience leading massive sporting organisations, which is why the UK government are believed to favour this bid over some of the competition.

The Ricketts family

The Ricketts family, led by Chicago Cubs chairman Thomas, are another party interested in purchasing Chelsea. They have owned 95% of the Major League Baseball team since 2009 and led them to their first World series since 1908 in 2016. Their bid is believed to be the most financially lucrative, although some fans are sceptical due to their lack of football experience.

Nick Candy

London property developer Nick Candy has assembled a consortium with two South Korean investment firms to submit a bid. Nick and his brother Christian were born in London, raised in nearby Surrey and grew up supporting Chelsea. They are believed to have a combined net worth of over £2 billion, much of which they made with local developments like One Hyde Park, Chelsea Barracks, and Gordon House.

True Blue

Former Chelsea and England captain John Terry is leading a consortium called “True Blue”, which is aiming to purchase a 10 per cent stake in the club. Their strategy includes a plan to allow fans to buy fan tokens that would give them a say in the club’s future. However, this bid would need to be combined with that of another party due to the small stake they can afford.

Others

Additional bids are believed to have been received from a group of Chelsea fans known as “Chelsea DAO Group”, American investor Todd Boehly and Saudi Media Group.

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