Gab and Juls debate if Thomas Tuchel and his players will be affected by the decision. (0:57) The Raine Group, a New York investment bank, has been enlisted to find a buyer willing to meet RomanAbramovich's asking price of 3 billion dollars for the reigning European and World Cup winners. The opportunity to own A-list football clubs as globally renowned as Chelsea rarely comes around for the super-wealthy individuals and private equity investment companies interested in buying a sporting franchise. According to sources, the Raine Group have received at least 300 expressions of interest. Sources have said that at least 10 are credible, with more expected to emerge before the March 15 deadline, despite the fact that the vast majority of those will quickly be discounted as lacking the funds or business plan to buy the club. With a 3 billion dollar valuation and a stadium that is less modern than those of their domestic and European rivals, are they as appealing as they first appear? Mike Forde, the executive chairman of Sportsology, a New York-based company that has advised U.S. ownership groups buying major sporting assets in Europe and America, has spoken to ESPN about the race to buy to Chelsea. Sources say the sale is attracting rival U.S. bids.
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A prospective new owner is interested in the appeal of Chelsea.
They are a well-known sporting brand. Over the past 20 years, their success in the English and European game has made them synonymous with winning and being at the forefront of the game. They are also a team in the premier league.
The global media deal between the Premier League and NBC is worth over $5 billion and will continue to grow, so it has obvious appeal to any investor. Manchester United have done a great job of growing their commercial strategy under the Glazer family.
Even though they have excelled on the pitch, they are still behind United in terms of commercial revenue, and any new owner could grow that income significantly. The Red Bull Group and the City Football Group are examples of how a football team can be transformed into a global platform.
The ability to become a finance-generating multi- event venue is one of the reasons why the stadium at Stamford Bridge requires modernization and expansion.
Does the London location make them more attractive to a new owner?
The value of being able to leverage the status of the club as a club based in London for everything from recruitment to attracting sponsors is not underestimated. Life is short for billionaires, so they want to enjoy the business opportunity and live in one of the best cities in the world. London is appealing.
London is a financial hub with transport links to every corner of the globe, and also has an advantage of being located in one of the most prestigious areas of the city. It's a smart investment to own real estate in London.
Any new owner would be able to use the appeal of London to lure star players, as was the case with Eden Hazard, who turned down Manchester City and United to join the Blues.
Roman Abramovich has decided to sell the Chelsea Football Club, and who might be the next owner is up in the air.
The stadiums of West Ham, Spurs, and other London teams are larger and more modern than those of the Blues. There are bigger grounds for United, City and other teams than there are for the 42,000 fans at Stamford Bridge. Plans to build a new stadium were scrapped last year, and the cost was estimated to be 1 billion dollars. Is the grounds issue likely to deter people from bidding?
The rebuild of the stadium should be seen as an opportunity.
Low interest rates on the global market will allow any new owner to access cheap debt to raise funds for the stadium project. There is a chance that the new stadium that will be built by Chelsea will be a destination venue for world sport, like the Madison Square Garden in New York.
Spurs have built a stadium that has hosted football games and world title boxing events since opening in the year, and they would have similar opportunities with a new multi-purpose stadium.
What are the challenges for making her succeed? They would be competing with state-owned clubs, such as Man City and Paris Saint-Germain, and there is no salary cap to keep costs down.
The primary challenge is sustaining on-pitch success while running a disciplined revenue/costs business. The need to continue to invest in players is what the new owners would have to focus on.
Young players from the academy should be the focus of a clear club identity. Over the past two or three years, we have seen some of the fruits of the academy emerge in the first team with the likes of Mason Mount, Reece James, and Callum Hudson-Odoi. The model of emerging talent and smart recruitment helped the team win the trophy.
What will the sale of the Blues do for football ownership? How will Man United be valued?
It will mark the asset of a lot of other teams, but they are all different.
The appeal of London and the recent history of the club make them appealing, but they are not as well known as Spurs and a less prestigious location in the north of London.
Manchester United have a strong global brand, but they also have a stadium and a team that need investment. Right now, they are winning, but they have to keep it up.
It will give an indication as to what the other clubs are worth if the final figure is sold for.
Are there any other global sporting brands that could entice buyers elsewhere?
The Denver Broncos are looking for a new owner and they are an appealing investment. The Broncos and Chelsea have the same characteristics. There are fewer potential losses and a huge U.S. broadcasting deal that make the NFL a safer bet for investors. There is not much capacity to grow the Broncos brand globally.
The Premier League is the top world league, while football is the top global sport. London is one of the top five cities in the world to own an asset. The Broncos are all about safety and a domestic audience, while Chelsea is about growth and global opportunity.
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