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Chelsea’s summer transfer plans have been thrown into limbo following the announcement that Roman Abramovich intends to sell the club.
The Russian billionaire is looking for a quick sale, hoping to avoid possible economic sanctions, including the seizure of UK assets, because of his links to Vladimir Putin.
However, finding somebody to match his valuation of the club may prove problematic, even if he is willing to write-off the £1.5 billion loan, he has made to them, and, whilst the club remains in his hands, there are some potential recruits who may regard it as toxic.
In addition, key executives at the club, including Managing Director, Marina Granovskia, who are closely involved with all transfer dealings, are not expected to remain in post after the club is sold.
And then there is the question of who will be the new owners, who will be expected to pass a far more rigorous “fit and proper” test, and who are unlikely to be willing to fund the same largesse in the transfer market as was the case in the Abramovich era.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.