Stamford Bridge continues to be debated. If Roman Abramovich will never have succeeded in convincing about a reconstruction of the stadium, Todd Boehly and his people could achieve it. Indeed, the mythical arena of the Blues is as charming as it is narrow for a club of such standard. This does not allow Chelsea to maximize its profit by selling a much smaller number of places than its counterparts. In London, Arsenal have already changed dimension by separating from Highbury for the Emirates, for a more mixed success than expected. Another northern club, Tottenham also said goodbye to White Hart Lane for a brand new stadium: the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. A real success, the latter symbolizes the modernization of European football.
For its part, Chelsea has few possibilities for its small stadium of only 40,000 seats. South-west of the English capital, towards Fulham, the Blues are cramped, surrounded by housing in small alleys and the underground. Unless a major expansion of the site is finally possible. In effect, The Guardian announces that Chelsea have reached an agreement with the Sir Oswald Stoll Mansions, a building which houses many former soldiers located at a crucial place for the rehabilitation of Stamford Bridge, in order to buy the land. A major step forward for Todd Boehly who now has several options: enlarge the stadium, destroy the current arena by rebuilding it, or move (to Earl’s Court in particular). At present, the hypothesis of a modernized reconstruction to obtain more places remains the most probable. What is certain is that the work has only just begun for Chelsea, both on and off the pitch.
