SO farewell – soon – Roman Abramovich.
The man who transformed the face of English football.
After nearly two decades the Russian has signalled his desire to sell his Chelsea stake.
Many Blues fans are in despair, with rival supporters celebrating.
What is certain is that, just like the consequences of Abramovich’s arrival in 2003, things will never be the same again.
The ascent of the Abramovich era began the break up the two club duopoly that had dominated and monopolized the Premier League.
More critically, it also encouraged others to think they could do the same.
It is hard to believe Manchester City would now be under Abu Dhabi ownership or Newcastle under Saudi control had Abramovich not been the first to challenge the rule of Manchester United and Arsenal.
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But it is the stand out part of Abramovich’s ‘for sale’ statement that actually signposts the real change that faces Chelsea.
In announcing he would not demand the return of £1.5 billion he has a lent the club over the last 19 years the Russian has underlined just how dependent the club has been upon his stewardship and deep pockets.
Fans of all clubs want to see their owners among the big spenders, if not the biggest spenders of all.
For nearly 20 years Chelsea have fulfilled those dreams and ambitions with a staggering trophy count to justify the expenditure.
But it is hard to imagine the next Blues owner will have the same approach, the same readiness to, in the final analysis say ‘ok then’.
The obvious legacy of the Abramovich era will be that trophy count and those memories.
Of the ‘Special One’ upsetting the establishment and making himself king of the castle.
Of John Terry and Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba, Petr Cech and Ashley Cole, Eden Hazard and Diego Costa, Munich and Porto.
Glory days. Glory nights.
But perhaps the real legacy, the one that will live on, has been constructed next to a railway line in deepest Surrey, 20 miles down the A3 from Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea’s Cobham Academy is a real life football factory.
A place where dreams are fired and talent is honed.
For most of the past decade Chelsea have used it it to fund their spending, building players good enough to earn millions in the transfer market even if they are not deemed quite good enough to wear that blue shirt.
Yet if, as seems likely, the next Blues owner is not as willing as to dip into his own pockets that academy suddenly becomes far more important.
In the last two seasons Chelsea have let Tammy Abraham and Fikayo Tomori leave.
They want to spend whatever it takes to get Declan Rice back so that he can be again in harness with long-standing pal Mason Mount.
But if the club can no longer spend big, then harvesting that in-house crop and insuring they develop into world stars in a Chelsea shirt will become all the more important.
If Chelsea lose some ‘new’ fans – the ones who come once-a-season to spend in the Megastore and who’s real club allegiance maybe more transient – the older, ‘legacy’ supporters will not mourn.
They were there before Abramovich. The start of the trophy haul kick-started by the arrivals of Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli and Gianfranco Zola.
Many were there for the Division Two days when the heroes were Kerry Dixon and David Speedie. Some remember Geoff Hurst and Danny Blanchflower, John Neal and others.
That Chelsea is long gone, too. It’s always, always, about the future.
Not the future the Chelsea fans had been envisaging 10 days ago. But still a future.
Illustration by Lovatto.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
