A sea snake. In recent years, the project for a new stadium is constantly returning to the table on the side of Chelsea. Ten years ago, in 2015, the old management, led by Roman Abramovitch had seriously advanced on this file with an enclosure with a capacity of 60,000 seats for a total budget of £ 500 million, or around € 597.5 million. But three years later, this project was abandoned and found itself at the bottom of the drawers. But in 2022, the new management of the London club, embodied by the American Todd Boehly, arrived with dreams and ambitions in his head. Regarding the thorny file of the stadium, the leaders immediately agreed that something had to be done to have an enclosure of higher capacity by the end of 2030.
A project at almost 2 billion euros
Very quickly, they therefore invested in a plot of almost 1 hectare at the beginning of 2024. But a first hiccup came to sow the disorder. Indeed, theEvent Standard revealed that the Blues could not start work there until 2027 in order to give people time currently residing on the scene to find new accommodation. A few months later, in September, another bad news came to upset the CFC plans. Indeed, The Sun said the opinions diverge and diverge still in the English club. On the one hand, there is Boehly, ready to embark on a new major project to build a 60,000 -seat stadium near Earl's Court.
On the other, there is Behdad Eghbali, co -owner of Clearlake Capital and Important Personality of Chelsea, who wishes to offer a lift at 1.8 billion euros to the legendary Stamford Bridge and increase its capacity to 55,000 places. It is currently a little over 40,000 seats, the ninth stadium with the largest capacity in the Premier League. Behind the scenes, two projects have therefore opposed in recent months, amplifying tensions within management. Despite this, this new stadium project is still envisaged by the thinking heads of Chelsea, who want to follow the example of Tottenham who knew how to build a new and ultra modern stadium or Manchester United, which will invest in an XXXL stadium.
Boehly wants to build a new stadium
This Monday, Todd Boehly expressed himself on this burning subject during an interview with Bloombergrelayed by The Sun. He recognized that there are differences of opinion without specifying his. “We have to think long -term what we are looking to accomplish. We have a major stadium development opportunity that we must materialize. I think this is where we are going to either align ourselves, or finally decide to take different paths. What has been written and commented is much more drama than reality. The development of stages is clearly a theme. We're going to see the NBA go to Europe, they need stadiums, they need arenas. ”
He continues: “We are at the forefront of the sports wave, and sports infrastructure will play a major role. We are 16 or 20 years old to understand, you know, of course, in London, it's very complex. It is not as if we are building something in the middle of a rural environment. We have to worry about many audiences. Chelsea supporters are certainly part of it. In the long term, we will build something new and we will find a solution. ” Very motivated at the idea of investing in a project at nearly 2 billion euros according to The Sun (€ 1.91 billion), the American businessman wants to pass a new step with the club which is much more expensive in his eyes today than the price invested three years ago.
The American is cash on recruitment
In addition to infrastructure, Boehly took advantage of the stretched microphones to discuss the recruitment policy of the English team. This time, no discord between the leaders, who are all on the same wavelength according to him. The idea is to recruit the best young players in the world, like Messinho and Geovany Quenda. “If you observe the evolution of the team, we are in tune with our objectives and our ambitions. It's a young team. It is a team with long contracts. All of this was new. Of course, if we have succeeded, it is thanks to the fact that we are all aligned with the same idea. We are implementing a plan which, ultimately, will allow Chelsea to reach its place. We are currently in the top 4 of the ranking. The status quo is a good thing. We have learned from each other and we will be able to get out of it. ”
Finally, he spoke of the transfer window and the difficult quest for a number 9 in Chelsea. “The attackers are difficult to find. You cannot find one at the grocery store. It is a set of incredible skills and you have to have a fantastic mentality. What is most misunderstood is that we think it is measured in years and not in months. You have to think short and long term. We focus on a combination of the two and are looking for the best way to get there. It is a balance exercise to find this compromise. ” This summer, the residents of Stamford Bridge, since they will be there at least a few years; will still try to inject new blood into the team. They have already started their shopping with the arrivals of Dario Essugo and Geovany Quenda for € 75 million.
