The UK government has approved the sale of Chelsea F.C. With this news, Todd Boehly officially takes over at Chelsea. It took a lengthy amount of talks for the deal to complete. However, it finally got the green light. A license was issued that now allows the sale to go ahead. It marks the first time that the UK government has got involved in such a sale. The motive behind the investigation was simple. Abramovic shall not benefit from the sale. However, the process proved to be much more complex.
The Premier League already approved the sale a week ago. The final deal stands at £4.25bn. The financial transactions are yet to take place. Nevertheless, it is only a matter of time before that happens. Moreover, an official agreement is already in place. Notably, the Blues were on a particular license till last night.
Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in the summer of 2003. At that time, they were a top club in England. Cut to 2022; his reign comes to an abrupt end. However, they’re one of the biggest clubs in the world right now. Although there have been blips during his tenure, the highs were astronomical.
As Boehly takes over, Chelsea is now a global entity. We’ll be taking a look back at their rise to the top. Here’s a list of the top 5 moments of the Abramovic era.
5. Boehly takes over at Chelsea: Will the transfer window of 2003 repeat itself?
Chelsea’s 2003 summer transfer window was something English football had never witnessed. A net spend of well over £100 million saw 11 players come into the club. Abramovich wanted his club to be title contenders from the start. Big names like Claude Makelele and Hernan Crespo joined in the mission. The foundations were laid out in style. It set the tone for years to come.
With the news that Boehly takes over, Chelsea fans will hope for a similar start.
4. 2009/10 domestic double
Carlo Ancelotti arrived that summer from Italian club AC Milan. By then, Chelsea had already tasted League and Cup success under Abramovich. Ancelloti’s target was to win the Champions League. However, that did not go as planned. He instead delivered the 2009/10 domestic double. Furthermore, his team scored the highest number of goals(103) in a single Premier League season.
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3. The First Premier League
In the 2004/05 season, the owner delivered the first Premier League title. This was the club’s first major trophy under him. Sir Alex Ferguson once famously said, “Attack wins you games. Defense wins you titles.” Chelsea implemented that on the pitch. Their defense conceded only 15 goals that season. This stands as the least ever in the history of the league.
Notably, most of the club’s defenders are out of contract at the end of the season. Boehly will look to sort out that area.
2. Todd Boehly takes over Chelsea: Is it a ‘Special’ summer ahead for him too?
In 2004, a charismatic young Portuguese named Jose Mourinho arrived at Chelsea. The Abramovich era at Chelsea will be incomplete without the mention of this. Mourinho’s appointment could go down as his best recruitment at Chelsea.
Mourinho announced himself as ‘The Special One.’ Staying true to his words, he sparked the dominance of Chelsea in English football.
1. Champions of Europe, 2012
Why does this top the top 5 moments list, you ask? Yes, you are correct to suggest that the league is valued more in England. However, hear us out for a while. This was Chelsea’s first-ever Champions League. Also, it would help if you considered the subplots surrounding this match. It was a massive win at the time.
After almost ten years in charge, Abramovich had his hands on this trophy. Besides, it had eluded him before. Chelsea made it to the final in Moscow in 2008. They lost on penalties that time.
They were the clear underdogs going into the final in 2012. Opponents Bayern Munich had the luxury of playing on their home ground. However, this time they won the match 4-3 on penalties. The players, fans, and the owner had rarely experienced such joy.
When Boehly takes over Chelsea, he’ll have big shoes to fill. It promises to be a vital summer ahead.