With Chelsea's sale officially set to take place on Monday to Todd Boehly, Roman Abramovich released a goodbye statement to the Chelsea supporters.
With his ownership coming to an official end this week, Roman Abramovich of Russia released a goodbye statement to the Chelsea supporters. The London-based football club is all set to be sold to Todd Boehly of the United States of America (USA). It will bring the Russian's 20-year glorious ownership to an end. Under his ownership, The Blues have won it all, including the UEFA Champions League (UCL) on a couple of occasions, the English Premier League (EPL) on four instances, and the FIFA Club World Cup once.
The statement read, "It has been nearly three months since I announced my intention to sell Chelsea FC. During this time, the team have worked hard to find the right custodian for Chelsea FC that would be best positioned to successfully lead the Club into its next chapter."
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"The ownership of this Club comes with great responsibility. Since I came to Chelsea nearly twenty years ago, I have witnessed first-hand what this Club can achieve. My goal has been to ensure that the next owner has a mindset that will enable success for the Men's and Women's teams, as well as the will and drive to continue developing other key aspects of the Club, such as the Academy and the vital work of Chelsea Foundation," added Abramovich.
"I am pleased this search has now come to a successful conclusion. As I hand over Chelsea to its new custodians, I would like to wish them the best of success, both on and off the pitch. It has been an honour of a lifetime to be a part of this Club – I would like to thank all the Club's past and current players, staff, and of course, fans for these incredible years," he continued.
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"I am proud that as a result of our joint successes, millions of people will now benefit from the new charitable foundation which is being established. This is the legacy which we have created together. Thank you. Roman," he concluded.
Roman Abramovich has been looking to sell Chelsea for a few months and agreed to a sale in March 2022. However, the deal was sanctioned due to Roman's links with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The New Owners of the Chelsea Football Club will be the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital consortium, which will complete its takeover of the club on Monday.
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Abramovich's takeover in 2003 marked the beginning of Chelsea's most successful period as a football club. Amongst its other successes are five FA Cups titles and three EFL Cup titles. among other accomplishments in the Russian's 19-year reign. Chelsea fans will hope that such success can also be replicated under the Todd Boehly/Clearlake Capital consortium.