Owners who love winning 'a big plus'

LONDON • Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel is hoping a quick sale of the European and world champions will provide clarity for employees and fans of the club, after the deadline for takeover bids closed yesterday.

The Blues were put up for sale after owner Roman Abramovich was hit with sanctions by the British government for his links to Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been widely condemned for the invasion of Ukraine.

Chelsea have been granted a special licence to continue operating but, with revenue from their income streams frozen, they face an uncertain future 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 yesterday ahead of today's FA Cup quarter-final trip to Middlesbrough.

"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 bidders have submitted bids to New York merchant bank the Raine Group, which has been hired to facilitate the sale, with Bloomberg indicating as many as 30 interested parties.

World Athletics president and Chelsea fan Sebastian Coe joined former Liverpool chairman Martin Broughton's bid, while owners of baseball team the Chicago Cubs, the Ricketts family, formed a consortium with Citadel hedge fund boss Ken Griffin.

"I am certain Sir Martin is the right man to lead Chelsea into its next chapter," Coe said.

British property tycoon Nick Candy led another bid backed by former Chelsea striker Gianluca Vialli and financial firm Aethel Partners yesterday confirmed it also put in a bid of over £2 billion (S$3.6 billion) for the club, which has been valued at £3 billion.

Another consortium led by LA Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly and Swiss billionaire Hansjorg Wyss was the first to emerge as a genuine contender and remains the front runner after British businessman Jonathan Goldstein and Conservative peer Daniel Finkelstein joined as partners.

There were also unconfirmed reports of interest from Saudi Media Group and another group led by former Blues captain John Terry.

Under Abramovich, Chelsea won 21 trophies in 19 years, making them the most successful English club this century.

Tuchel hopes the new owners will have the same lust for winning as the oligarch, who spent £1.5 billion to transform Chelsea's fortunes. "Hopefully, they love winning, that would be a big plus," the German said. "I still believe Chelsea will stay strong."

His preparations for the trip today have been helped by an easing of restrictions on the amount Chelsea can spend on travel, which will allow them to fly to the north-east of England rather than a 10-hour round trip by bus.

But, with Tuchel's side stopped from selling away match-day tickets, there will be a hostile crowd at the Riverside Stadium. Middlesbrough boss Chris Wilder, who has already taken the scalps of Manchester United and Tottenham, is eyeing another upset.

On the Blues' woes, he said: "It will be bought by a billionaire, who will possibly invest more money into it... so I don't think there is, in the football world, an incredible amount of sympathy over what's happening."

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE, REUTERS

---

MIDDLESBROUGH V CHELSEA